


Lawndale and Sandi Griffin's Genie

by cfard31l_brenorenz



Category: Daria - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-03-10
Updated: 2012-06-17
Packaged: 2017-11-01 17:33:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 21,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/359473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cfard31l_brenorenz/pseuds/cfard31l_brenorenz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sandi Griffin finds a mysterious object at home. She takes it to school the next day.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Lawndale and Sandi Griffin’s Genie**

**Prologue**

**Lawndale, Pennsylvania, United States of America**

**Wednesday, February 17 1999**

It was a bright sunny day in Lawndale, a not-so-typical American suburban town. Almost no-one knew what was going to happen that afternoon. Those that did know had been preparing for the upcoming events for the last three months. It was an event that would set off a chain of events that bring about massive changes to the town (or suburb, though Lawndale was certainly separate from the nearby settlements, many of which also considered themselves towns).

 

Only a minority of people knew what was about to happen that afternoon, after school had finished for the day.

 

Lawndale High School was the domain of Angela Li, a dictator of a Principal, who tended to put security above other concerns, like the budget for the maintenance of the school’s buildings. However, even she was not aware of the secret meeting that was taking place beneath the school during the last period of the school day.

 

 

The attendees of the meeting were students, who had been excused from class for a variety of reasons, and two or three teachers who didn’t have a class for that period...

 

“Now, does everyone understand what you need to do?” the convener of the meeting, who stood in a shadow that the meagre lights of the room did not reach, asked.

 

“Yes!” the teachers, and most of the students, said enthusiastically.

 

“Yes, Of course I do. There was no need for the repetition,” the remaining student said. As she had been sitting separately from everyone else, she quickly exited the room.

 

“Excellent! Meeting is adjourned,” the convener said.

 

 

The students who attended the meeting then returned to their classes via various secret passageways beneath the school buildings, re-emerging into the corridors, or the basement, where Li’s cameras had blind spots.

 

 

The last of the students whom had attended the secret meeting had returned to their classes 20 minutes before school finished for the day.

 

Sandi Griffin, sophomore and President of the school’s Fashion Club (and who had not attended the secret meeting), did not know as she exited the school’s front entrance what role she would play in the history making events over the next few weeks.

 

“Quinn, where were you?” Sandi turned to the source of the question. It was two of the other members of the Fashion Club, Quinn Morgendorffer and Stacy Rowe.

 

“I was in the bathroom, Stacy,” Quinn said.

 

“For half an hour?” That is a very long time, even for you, Quinn,” Stacy said, not entirely convinced.

 

Sandi _had_ to interrupt; something was happening that she might take advantage of.

 

“Maybe, Qui-inn, like, you were somewhere else?” she said. Quinn blushed.

 

“Ok, Ok, I was in Study Hall,” Quinn said, not entirely convincingly. “I miss-read my timetable,” she said.

 

Sandi could tell that her Vice-President rival was lying, but she saw that Stacy believed her. To accuse Quinn now could cause problems within the Fashion Club for the rest of the month, Sandi reasoned.

“I suppose so, even though the time table change _was_ 3 weeks ago,” Sandi said.

 

“Thank you, Sandi,” Quinn said.

 

“Besides, I have misread my timetable many times,” Stacy said, in support of Quinn.

 

“Thanks, Stacy,” Quinn said.

 

Sandi talked to Quinn, Stacy and the fourth Fashion Club member, Tiffany Blum-Deckler, for about ten minutes before heading home. Her thoughts were full of plans for the months ahead, regarding school, and the Fashion Club. ‘I hope that Quinn’s weird sister will not interfere,’ she thought as she turned into her street. Little did she know that all her plans would come to naught.

 

After an hour of looking at fashion websites Sandi went out to her backyard. After a minute of observing her two brothers playing she noticed a glint in the grass. She went over and picked it up. It was an emerald. “How did we not notice this before?” she asked herself. She took it to her bedroom.

 

When she had placed the emerald on her bedside table, her phone rang. She quickly forgot about the Emerald, as she talked to Tiffany about her choices of clothes for a party on Friday night.

 

After her conversation with Tiffany she did some homework. She did not give the emerald another thought until the next morning.


	2. Chapter 1 - The Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sandi takes the emerald to school, creating chaos.

**Chapter 1 – The Beginning**

**Thursday, February 18 1999**

Sandi awoke early, around 6:45, from a nightmare. “What a dream,” she said. She did not remember many details. She did however remember the emerald and picked it up as she climbed out of bed. The emerald looked dirtier in the early morning light than it had the previous afternoon. “I need to get the dirt off,” she said. She began rubbing it.

 

What happened next was entirely unexpected. It frightened her much more than the nightmare did.

 

The Emerald lit up! Sandi dropped it in shock, collapsing back onto her bed. “Eep!”

There was static on the radio, where there had been a clear signal from one of Lawndale’s local FM stations (but not Z93) only a moment before. The bedroom light was flashing on and off. Then many swirls of light emanated from the emerald.

Sandi had recovered herself enough to think ‘What is happening?’

 

Then, there, in the centre of the room impossibility occurred. What appeared to be a normal teenage girl, much like Sandi herself appeared, appearing to coalesce out of the swirls of light. She had medium length dark blonde hair, about the length of Sandi’s, and grey eyes that showed a much _greater_ age than her looks implied.

 

Sandi fainted.

 

 

A while later Sandi came to. The stranger was sitting on her chair at her study desk, where the accoutrements of the previous night’s homework session were, undisturbed by the stranger.

 

“Like, who are you?” Sandi asked, with fear, rather than the usual haughtiness, showing in her voice.

 

“I am sorry for the fright that I have given you. I am a genie. You may call me Jeannie, or Jean for short.”

 

Sandi didn’t know _what_ to believe, genies were the stuff of fairy tales and Disney movies.

 

“Say that again, a genie who grants wishes?” Sandi asked, her voice showing scepticism similar to that of Quinn’s sister, not that she would ever admit that fact.

 

“Yes, I grant your wishes. If you are holding the emerald in some way when you wish for something out loud it will be granted.  The number of wishes is without limit.”

 

Sandi didn’t know _what_ to think. One thing was certain, if her parents discovered Jean in the room, she would be in trouble.

 

“I wish that my family would remember that you are staying here on exchange,” Sandi said, hoping that that it was a wish that Jean was capable of granting.

 

“Do you mean your immediate family or your extended family?” Jean asked.

 

“My immediate family, those that are living here!” Sandi said with impatience.

 

Jean then blinked, holding her arms across her chest as she did so. A strange sound surrounded Sandi on all sides.

 

“Your wish has been granted, although it would be easier if I knew your name. I know that the surname is Griffin, from the granting of the wish, but not your personal name,” Jean said.

 

“Alexandra, though I prefer Sandi if you don’t mind!”

 

“I will call you Sandi,” Jean said.

 

“Sandi! Jean! Your breakfast is ready,” Sandi’s mother, Linda, called.

 

“Yikes!” Sandi said, looking at the time (7:30 by her clock radio).

 

 

They were out in the kitchen in slightly less than 10 minutes, a record for Sandi. Sandi was wearing her usual outfit; whereas Jean was wearing one of Sandi’s other outfits...

 

Breakfast was tense.

 

 

_Lawndale High School 8:30_

Sandi and Jean were dropped off by Linda in front of the school. “We’re early; Stacy and Tiffany do not arrive until 8:45. Quinn usually arrives five minutes after that.” Sandi said after her mother had driven off.

 

Jean stopped short of the front entrance. “Aren’t you forgetting something Sandi?” she asked.

 

“What have I forgotten?” Sandi asked.

 

“I am not enrolled. I am not in the school’s records!” Jean said. Sandi mused on this. Ms Li would very quickly find out that someone was at the school, who was not supposed to be there.

 

“Good point,” Sandi conceded. “I wish that you were in all the relevant records at the school.”

Jean granted the wish, repeating the gesture from earlier, with the same sound.

 

“The wish is granted,” Jean said.

“Who can hear that anyway?” Sandi asked, referring to the wish granting sound, whilst entering the front entrance of the school.

 

“The person making the wish, and anyone in the immediate vicinity,” Jean said, as she entered the school building herself. Sandi could see that she was holding some information back, but figured that she would find out soon enough.

 

“Where are we going?” Jean asked.

 

“The Library. It is, like, open before homeroom on Thursdays. I would like to see if there is any information there about genies in history,” Sandi said.

 

“Ok,” Jean said, not sure what Sandi’s motives would be in such a project. They passed the Cafeteria and then went out into the quad towards the library.

 

 

Once in the Library, Sandi looked around and made sure that there weren’t any ‘popular’ people there who could identify her. She saw no one whom she recognised. She then went over to the cataloguing computers.

 

 

“These are new,” Jean said, looking at the computers.

 

“Were there not any computers the last time you were out of the emerald?” Sandi asked, wondering how long Jean had been in the emerald.

 

“They did exist, but they were not advanced enough to be used as a cataloguing system in a High School Library,” Jean said. She was in awe at the advancement of technology...

 

“Interesting,” Sandi said. She then thought of how they could be easier used. She decided that voice recognition would be interesting to have ‘At least that is what it is called in those shows that Stacy watches,’ she thought. She grabbed the emerald, which was on a necklace that she was wearing. ‘Good thing that its green matches that of my eyes,’ she thought.

 

“I wish that the computers in the school will be able to be controlled by voice, and that they would have the components necessary for that to work,” she said.

 

“This will take a few moments,” Jean said. She closed her eyes and concentrated as she and the emerald scanned all the computers in the school. (She had been aware of them earlier after Sandi had wished for her to be on the enrolment records, but now she needed to understand them better.)

 

After scanning the hardware and the software of every computer in the school and then understanding all of them, she was ready.  She granted Sandi’s wish. A barely visible ripple emanated out from Jean and the emerald, carrying the wish granting sound with it. As it struck each computer in the school it changed them, giving them microphones, speakers and voice recognition software compatible with the operating system that the particular computers were running.

Where there wasn’t enough hard drive space, the wave increased the capacity of the drive to compensate. All the computers in the school were affected, from the more recent Pentium II’s running Windows 98 and iMacs running MacOS 8.5, through to the 386’s running Windows 3.11 and Macintosh II’s running System 7.5. Jean also placed some ‘Easter Eggs’ on many of the computers...

 

“The wish is granted,” Jean said, once the conversion processes were complete.

 

“I would have thought that it would have been quicker,” Sandi said.

 

“The bigger the wish, the longer it takes to be completed,” Jean said. Sandi gave this some thought. “I suppose so,” she said. She lead Jean over to the closest of the cataloguing computers.

 

“Catalogue: Like, show me the listings for any books containing information on genie legends,” she said. After a few seconds the database software returned Sandi’s query. There were 3 books.

 

“Cool,” she said. She took out a notepad from her purse and wrote down the Dewey Decimal numbers that had come up.

 

“Let’s go,” she said to Jean as she went towards the first relevant section of the bookshelves.

 

 

However, Sandi did not know that the School Librarian, Michaela Daniels, had seen and heard everything after her wish for the computers to be able to be controlled by voice.

 

As Sandi and Jean walked into the midst of the non-fiction section she ran what happened through her mind. Sandi’s wish, Jean’s response and gesture, the wish granting noise, the ripple carrying the wish granting noise, a different noise coming from the computers in the library as they were altered and Sandi ordering books via voice... She came to the conclusion that Jean was a genie (though she still didn’t know her name).

 

 

Meanwhile at the front of the school, Stacy Rowe and Tiffany Blum-Deckler had arrived. “Whe-ere’s Sand-di?” Tiffany asked after a minute of looking for her.

 

“I don’t know,” Stacy said. ‘Maybe she is late,’ she thought. Tiffany reached into her handbag and took out her cell phone.

 

“Tooo bad Sand-di doesn’t ha-ave her own Ce-ell Pho-one,” Tiffany said.

 

“You could try her house,” Stacy said.

 

“Oh Yeaaah,” Tiffany said, as she dialled the Griffin’s home phone number.

 

“ _Hello; you have reached the Griffin’s Residence, we are not at home now. Would you please leave a message,_ ” came the recording of Linda’s voice from the Griffin’s answering machine.

 

Stacy looked at Tiffany. “We will wait for Quinn. She will know what to do,” she said.

 

“Oh Yeaaah,” Tiffany said. She placed her cell phone back into her handbag and took out a mirror. Stacy sighed.

 

 

Back in the library Sandi was talking to Elias Howarth, whom she had dated a couple of times.

“...Like, I am looking for a book for class. Mr DeMartino gave me a C on my last test. My Mom insists that I keep a B average,” Sandi said after Elias had asked why Sandi was in the library. ‘And most of it is true,’ Sandi mused. Linda did insist that she had moderately good grades and Mr DeMartino had given her a C on her last test.

 

“That is fine, Sandi. It’s not like you’re a brain, like a certain Junior I have often run into,” Elias said.

 

‘While dating Quinn no doubt,’ Sandi thought.

 

“Anyway, who is this new friend?” Elias asked.

 

“Hi Elias. I am Jean Jenner. I am on exchange from Britain, staying with the Griffins. It seems that I have picked up the American accent well.”

 

“Interesting. If you are available at Recess I would like to find out more,” Elias said.

 

“Sure,” Jean said. Elias said goodbye to Sandi and left.

 

“He is a little geeky, but, like, his cuteness makes up for that geekiness,” Sandi said. She then found the first of the books that she was looking for. She grabbed it from the bookshelf...

 

 

Meanwhile Quinn Morgendorffer had arrived at school. She had walked up to Stacy and Tiffany and asked; “Where’s Sandi?”

 

“We-e Dooon’t knooow,” Tiffany said.

 

“I thought that maybe you would know,” Stacy said. Quinn thought for a few seconds.

 

“Something may have come up. I am sure that we’ll see in her in class,” she said.

 

“Oh Yeaaah.”

 

“That is a good idea, Quinn,” Stacy said. The three friends then went into the school.

 

 

Michaela had gone to the CD-ROM reference computer and had started to use the voice recognition software. Elias noticed her and went over to her. He was quite sure that even if voice recognition software existed that the school wouldn’t be able to afford it. “Since when do we have computers with voice recognition software?” he asked, the curiosity showing in his voice.

 

“I am as confused as you are,” Michaela said.

 

“Really?” Elias asked, surprised that the librarian would admit that.

 

“You have met Sandi’s new friend?” Michaela asked. Elias nodded in the affirmative and she continued, “She could be some kind of genie. I think I heard Sandi wish for the computers to change.” She also explained Jean’s body language and the strange sounds.

 

“That is only a possibility. There could be others,” Elias said. He was uncertain. A genie could explain at lot of things. “I will investigate Jean, that is the name that she gave me, and I’ll get back to you,” he continued.

 

“That would be a good idea,” Michaela said. Elias went over to the Cataloguing computers.

 

 

Ted Dewitt-Clinton was already at the cataloguing computers, looking something up. Elias could see that Sandi and Jean were out of sight, somewhere in a distant corner of the library. He decided to tell Ted the librarian’s suspicions.

 

“Ted? Have you seen Sandi Griffin this morning?” he asked.

 

“Why do you ask?” Ted asked, curiously.

 

“She had this person with her. It wasn’t one of her usual Fashion Club friends,” Elias said.

 

“Yes. I did see her and someone else enter the library earlier,” Ted said.

 

“Anyway, Ted, Mrs Daniels thinks that that person is a genie,” Elias said, hoping that Ted did know what a genie was.

 

“You mean a genie like one in the old Arabian tales, or like the more recent Disneyfied versions? Why would she think that?” Ted mused.

 

“The computers in the library can suddenly respond to voice commands,” Elias said to Ted. Then to the computer “Computer: List all works by JRR Tolkien.”

 

Ted gave Elias a dubious look as he gave his answer but then he looked at the screen.

 

AUTHOR SEARCH: JRR Tolkien

 

Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring TOLK 5 copies

 

Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers TOLK 5 copies

 

Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King TOLK 5 copies

 

Lord of the Rings: Omnibus Edition TOLK 4 copies

 

The Hobbit TOLK 6 copies

 

The Silmarillion TOLK 2 copies

 

The Unfinished Tales TOLK 1 copy

 

“Amazing!” Ted said, more at the computer having voice recognition software, rather than the school having multiple copies of most of the Middle Earth Legendarium, although he appreciated the latter too.

 

“See?” Elias asked. He already knew that the library had multiple copies of LOTR.

 

“Ok. Possibly, I will look into it,” Ted said, thinking that there could be other reasons why the computers suddenly had voice recognition software.

 

“Cool. I will do so as well, but we have to be discrete about it,” Elias said.

 

“No problem there,” Ted said. Then the bell rang. They quickly left the library, not knowing that Sandi had heard most of their conversation.

 

“Gee, Jean, I hope that they will not, like, confirm their suspicions,” she said.

 

“You could have made a subtler wish,” Jean said. Sandi placed the book she had been reading down next to the cataloguing computer, glancing at the Tolkien list.

 

“Maybe, but now I have lost track of time. Quinn could be turning Stacy and Tiffany against me,” Sandi said.

 

“In fifteen minutes?” Jean asked as they left the library.

 

“You don’t know Quinn! Let’s go to homeroom. You did put yourself into my homeroom didn’t you?” Sandi asked.

 

“Yes, of course I did,” Jean said. They went towards the building in which their homeroom was...

 

 

After homeroom, Sandi, Jean, Quinn, Stacy and Tiffany had history. Sandi and Jean met Quinn, Stacy and Tiffany.

 

“There you are, Sandi!” Quinn said as she approached the history classroom. “Who is this?” she asked, referring to Jean.

 

“This is Jean Jenner. She is on exchange from England and is staying with my family,” Sandi said.

 

“That is so cool!” Stacy said.

 

“Yeaaah. Very cooool,” Tiffany said.

 

“You didn’t say anything about this,” Quinn said.

 

“It was, like, a surprise!” Sandi said. She then noticed Mr DeMartino approaching.

 

“Where **is** the rest of the **class**?” he asked.

 

“I don’t know, but maybe, like, their homerooms are on the other side of the school!” Sandi said.

 

“ **Stupid** timetable changes!” Mr Anthony DeMartino said as he opened the door to the classroom.

 

 

10 minutes later Ms Li was going through paperwork when she noticed the addition of Jean Jenner as a new exchange student. She called her secretary.

 

“Nadine! Why was I not informed of the arrival of a new exchange student to my school!” she said.

 

Nadine Fenton looked over the paperwork. “She is enrolled starting today. The paperwork looks in order,” she said.

 

“Good! But still, a new student needs to report to the principal as soon as they arrive on the first day. No exceptions!” Li said.

 

“Very true,” Nadine said.

 

 

“ _Ms Jean Jenner, please report to the Principal’s Office. Immediately!”_ came Ms Li’s voice over the intercom.

 

‘I knew that would happen,’ Jean thought. She quickly left the room before Sandi, or Mr DeMartino could say anything.

 

After Jean had left Sandi grabbed the emerald and said “I wish that Jean will know what to say to Ms Li.” The emerald glowed briefly and the wish granting noise came from it.

 

“Ms **Griffin!** Please re **frain** from playing with your gimmicky **Jewel** lery in **class!** ” Mr DeMartino shouted.

 

“Sorry,” Sandi said, not entirely sincerely.

 

 

Jean had turned a corner when Sandi had made her wish. The wish granting noise emanated around her. “You didn’t need to make that wish Sandi!” she muttered. Even so, she gained the extra knowledge about Ms Li’s personality. ‘That may be useful in future,’ she thought.

 

 

Ms Li looked up from the paperwork strewn on her desk as Jean entered her office. “Jean Jenner reporting as requested, Ms Li,” she said.

 

“Good!” Ms Li said. She picked up a piece of paper “It says here that you are billeted with the Griffins. Is that correct?”

 

“Yes it is,” Jean said.

 

“Why didn’t you report here as soon as you arrived at school?”

 

“I got carried away talking with Sandi, Ma’am.”

 

“I can believe that, your transgression was minor. But you still need to submit to a psychological test before returning to class,” Ms Li said. She pressed a button on the intercom. “Ms Manson, please report to the Principal’s Office!”

 

“Great, a psychological test!” Jean said.

 

“It is nothing to be worried about. And Welcome to Lawndale High,” Ms Li said, saying the school’s name in a reverential manner.

 

 

20 minutes later Jean was walking back to Mr DeMartino’s classroom. “Stupid Psychological test! It’s a good thing she didn’t think that I have low self-esteem!” she muttered. She was sure it would be time for the next class shortly after she got back. She decided to have some fun...

 

The security cameras in the west half of the school all failed! ‘That will have Ms Li in an uproar,’ Jean thought.

 

Jean arrived back at Mr DeMartino’s classroom 5 minutes before the end of the period.

 

 

After another period, it was recess.

 

Elias came up to Jean, where she sat near where Sandi and a large group of other girls, including the rest of the Fashion Club, were talking near the rear of the library.

 

“Can I talk with you away from the others?” he asked, with more than a hint of curiosity in his voice.

 

“Sure, absolutely,” she said. They walked away from the group of girls, towards the Home Economics/Music block.

 

“I have a hypothesis related to the fact that with the strange events that happened in the library this morning and the fact that _all_ of the school’s computers can suddenly be controlled by voice,” Elias said.

 

“What is your hypothesis?” Jean asked. She was hoping that Elias was going where she was thinking he was going.

 

“That there is some kind of magic involved, almost certainly some kind of genie,” Elias said.

 

“I will tell you the truth, Elias. Although I am certain that Sandi will be angry,” Jean began. Elias looked concerned.

 

“I’ll tell you since you are curious,” Jean said, with a laugh. “There _was_ magic in the school this morning with the computers changing. There is a genie in the school,” she hesitated. “And I am that genie.” She knew that Elias had to find out, regardless of how Sandi felt about the matter. She didn’t know what the repercussions would be if Elias didn’t find out about her within the next day.

 

Elias was then in thought. “Were you always a genie? Or did you become one somehow?” he asked.

 

“Good question. I will answer it. Approximately 2000 years ago, I was born as a normal human, and then one day soon after my 15th birthday I became a genie and I found myself in the Emerald,” Jean said.

 

“Is that all?” Elias asked.

 

“There is a more complex answer but that would take a lot longer to explain,” Jean said.

 

“Here is another question; how many people have had wishes granted by you?” Elias asked. He was still curious, though Jean’s answer to his earlier question had him trying to think about the repercussions of such an event.

 

“Sandi is the 2225th,” Jean said.

 

‘That is a large number,’ Elias thought. He asked something else though. “Are there any other genies that you are aware of?”

 

Jean answered that she had seen 6 others since the fall of the Roman Empire. Elias talked to her for a short while more before leaving to eat his recess by himself. However Sandi had overheard most of what had been said.

 

“Why did you tell him?” she asked, with anger in her voice.

 

“He asked if I was a genie and I had to tell him the truth,” Jean, who wanted to be honest with Elias for her own reasons, said.

 

“Do not tell anyone else!” Sandi fumed. ‘Elias may now want Jean for himself!’ she thought.

 

However someone else had overheard Elias and Jean, Torii Jericho. “What were Elias and Jean talking about?” Torii asked.

 

“None of your business!” Sandi said.

 

“There is a genie in the school,” Jean said. She was thinking that there was a way around Sandi’s unspoken wish that she not be identified as the genie if someone asked about what was happening.

 

“There may be, like, a genie in the school, but Jean is not it!” Sandi said. ‘Of course Jean would say that there is a genie. She has been very mischievous this morning,’ she thought.

 

Torii was in thought for a second. “Sandi, I am going to look for this genie. Come on Brooke, we’ll look for it,” she said.

 

Brooke Peters followed Torii away from the group.

 

 

After Torii and Brooke had gone, Ted approached Elias from the direction of the Science block.

 

“I haven’t found the genie yet, Elias, but I will keep looking,” he said. Ted was taking the events in stride; he had heard rumours of strange events in history that could have been caused by rather unusual forces.

 

“I’ve found her, Ted,” Elias said, having decided to fill Ted in on what he had discovered regarding the genie.

 

“Who is it?” Ted asked, almost whispering.

 

“Jean, whom was with **_STUPID_** Sandi in the library earlier,” Elias said, not quite so quietly. Indeed, Sandi overheard! She was quite annoyed with Elias. She came stomping over and said; “You are going to regret this, Elias!”

 

Jean came over “Calm down, Sandi. Elias, Ted, please do not inform anyone else about my nature. They are going to find out soon enough,” she said.

 

“What do you mean, Jean?” Sandi asked, fuming, but trying to keep her voice down.

 

“Events are going to get out of control, regardless of what you do, Sandi. That is what always happens,” Jean said.

 

“Whatever!” Sandi said, dismissing Jean’s comment.

 

“I am going to tell Mrs Danielson. But not anyone else,” Ted said. “See you, Elias, Jean and Sandi,” he then left going into one of the buildings.

 

“I hope no one else has overheard,” Sandi said.

 

“I wouldn’t count on it,” Elias said.

 

“I heard that!” Sandi said.

 

“Tisk, Tisk, Sandi. You haven’t counted on my mischievousness. I don’t need to grant a wish to do magic!” Jean said.

 

“What!” Sandi said.

 

“For instance, I can do, this!” Jean blinked and Sandi started to float up into the air!

 

“Jean! People can see!” Sandi shouted.

 

“Exactly!” Jean said, laughing.

 

“Why iis Sannndi floaaating?” Tiffany asked in the background.

 

Sandi started producing lighting around her fingers. “Your feeble powers are no match for mine, Sandi,” Jean said.

 

“Oohf!” Sandi exclaimed, grabbing at the emerald. “I wish that you would let me down!” she said.

 

“As you wish!” Jean said, she didn’t really want Sandi to reveal her own powers, ‘though I am sure that most didn’t notice,’ she thought. She granted the wish. Sandi fell down, though landing gracefully.

 

“I thought you said that Jean wasn’t a genie!” Andrea Hecuba said.

 

“As what just happened shows, yes. Like, I would have admitted it without that happening, but what are you doing here?” Sandi asked.

 

“I was reading here. I usually read here. No one notices the Goth Chick!” Andrea said.

 

“Indeed, your outfit is worse than that of that girl who lives with Quinn!” Sandi said.

 

“That is certainly true,” Quinn said in the background.

 

“Tell me about it!” Stacy said.

 

“Thaaat jaacket aand thooose boots look soo wrooong!” Tiffany said.

 

“Most of the ‘popular’ people in the school now know, Sandi!” Jean said.

 

‘And who knows who Andrea could tell, certainly most of the unpopular students,’ Sandi thought. “You want me to make a wish?” She asked.

 

“Make one, or there will be more mischievousness,” Jean said.

 

‘Oh the irony, my own trickery turned against me,’ Sandi thought. “I wish that an extra floor would appear on the top of the Science Block!”

 

“As you wish. You keep wishing big though,” Jean said. She granted the wish. With the usual wish related sounds, and an additional sound similar to that of Autobots (or Decepticons) changing shape, the Lawndale High science block gained an additional floor...

 

One of the other students ran off to find Torii and Brooke...

 

Most of the other students began running around in a panic. Sandi facepalmed, as Quinn, Tiffany and Andrea looked at the situation impassively and Stacy fainted. Jean and Elias wondered if the situation was out of control...

 

 

It was halfway through recess, and the news was spreading through the student population of Lawndale High, although invariably Chinese Whispers took its toll on the accuracy of the message.

 

 

Daniela Gray found Torii and Brooke, in a girl’s bathroom near the assembly hall. “Here you are!” she said.

 

“What is happening, Daniela?” Torii asked.

 

“Sandi was lying! Jean is a genie. She made Sandi float in the air...” Daniela said.

 

“Are you sure?” Brooke asked.

 

“Yes!” Daniela said.

 

“How do I know that it isn’t _you_ that is lying?” Brooke asked.

 

“Come and see for yourself!” Daniela said. Brooke reluctantly followed Daniela and Torii back to where Sandi and Jean were.

 

 

“How did the Science Block get an extra floor?” the head Science teacher Janet Barch asked as she exited the library.

 

“There is a genie in the school. That is the source of the trouble,” Andrea said. She wanted an adult to know, regardless of the consequences.

 

“I suppose, that is one explanation, what with the computers and all,” Ms Barch said. Andrea had already heard about the computers.

 

“Yeah,” Andrea said.

 

“I bet it was a _male_ who wished that!” Ms Barch exclaimed.

 

“Actually, it was Sandi Griffin,” Andrea said.

 

“Maybe...” Ms Barch said, wondering.

 

 

Inside the library, Ted was talking to Mrs Danielson.

 

“It is Jean, isn’t it?” Mrs Danielson said.

 

“Yes, Elias talked to her, then Sandi and Jean herself confirmed it. So what happens now?” Ted asked.

 

“I don’t know. This is completely outside our experience. I hope that Sandi has the wisdom not to abuse the power that the genie is giving her,” Mrs Danielson said.

 

“Me too,” Ted said.

 

 

Outside the library, Daniela, Torii and Brooke arrived on the scene. Most of the previously panicking students had dispersed. Quinn was helping Stacy to calm down. Tiffany was looking around clueless. Andrea and Ms Barch were still conversing. Sandi and Elias were sitting near each other with ponderous looks on their faces. Jean was standing between them, waiting...

‘Why is it that _Sandi_ gets the genie?’ Brooke thought to herself. ‘She is the President of the Fashion Club. She won’t let me _in_ the Fashion Club. I should be in the Fashion Club!” She then decided to grab the emerald off Sandi!

 

“Give me that emerald, Sandi Griffin!” she shouted, and charged...

 

Sandi saw what was happening. “I wish I was, like, somewhere else in the school!” she said, rapidly. Jean blinked, and Sandi vanished.

 

“That was not a good idea, Brook Peterson! If you had touched Sandi, you would have gotten detention!” Ms Barch said.

 

“Sorry, Ms Barch,” Brooke said.

 

“You should apologise to Sandi, not me,” Ms Barch said.

 

Then the end of recess bell rang. Everyone went to class.

 

 

In the rush to get to class no one noticed two squirrels jump from a tree in the quad onto the Industrial Arts Block. The two squirrels then left the school to the west.

 

 

Sandi had appeared underwater in the school’s swimming pool. She came up for air, spluttering. She still had the emerald, although Jean was nowhere to be seen. She was quite angry at being dunked when all she wanted was to escape Brooke’s attempt to fight her for the emerald. Then the bell rang. ‘Great! I’ll be late to class,’ she thought. She grabbed the emerald. “I wish I was in class,” she said.

 

Sandi and all the water vanished from the pool...

 

 

5 minutes later, Mr Timothy O’Neill’s Sophomore Language Arts Class was interrupted...

 

“Oh, dear, where is Sandi?” Mr O’Neill asks. He was absolutely clueless about what had been happening in the previous half hour.

 

“No idea, Mr O’Neill,” Quinn said. Then the whole room was filled with water, as Sandi and the water appeared in a distorted version of the normal wish granting noise.

 

 

Sandi noticed that the door of the classroom was shut. She attempted to wish the water away, but all that came out of her mouth were bubbles. ‘Great! I need to be out of water to speak a wish!’ she thought, and then wondered about how to get out of the situation before everyone drowned. She then saw Jean, who appeared to be enjoying herself in the water filled classroom. ‘Ah, now everyone will _almost_ drown!’ Sandi thought.

She then noticed Jamie White and Jeffy Brown; two of those football players who usually attended to Quinn’s every whim, attempting to open two of the windows. ‘That is one way to avoid drowning. She concentrated on the windows. The telekinetic aspects of her powers assisted Jamie and Jeffy’s efforts. The windows then opened.

 

The water rushed out of the classroom. Sandi noticed that 5 of the students including Joey Green and Tiffany were swept out. ‘It is a good thing that this classroom is on the ground floor,’ she thought. Seconds later the water level was down to the level of the bottom of the windows.

 

“ **Sandi!** ” Quinn yelled.

 

 

Tiffany Blum-Deckler was preparing herself for the arduous Language Arts lesson ahead when she suddenly realised that the classroom was full of water. ‘Why is all this strange stuff happening today,’ she thought, at a pace quicker than that of her speech. She noticed that Sandi was in her seat, which had been vacant a few moments before. ‘And why is Sandi appearing out of thin air/water, water/air?’ she thought again. Sandi was glaring at her Exchange Student housemate, Jean.

‘Jean does have something to do with what happened at recess,’ she thought, as she was attempting to hold her breath. She saw Jamie and Jeffy, who usually did stuff for Quinn, attempting to open the windows. They then opened them. ‘Oh no!’ she thought as she started going out of the window. ‘I should not have stood up!’

 

Tiffany roused herself. She was shivering, lying on the ground in a puddle outside of the Language Arts classroom. She barely heard Quinn yell at Sandi.

 

“Are you ok, Tiffany?” It was Joey Green.

 

“I’m Freeeezing, and my hair is ruuuined,” she said. She wasn’t actually sure that her hair was ruined, but that usually happened if she got dunked. She was also surprised that Joey actually gave her any concern, as he usually hung around Quinn with Jamie and Jeffy, competing with them for her attention. Her dates usually didn’t go well, because they usually got bored of her slow monotone. She sat up. ‘As opposed to the not-so-monotone ‘brainy’ voice of Quinn’s sister,’ she thought. Joey then leapt back into the classroom.

She stood up and observed what happened next through the window.

 

 

Joey Green had opened his book of _David Copperfield_ , when suddenly the room filled with water. ‘What the heck?’ he thought as he stood up. He looked towards Quinn. She seemed to be handling herself, indeed she seemed to be glaring at Sandi. ‘She wasn’t there before. Indeed I heard Quinn tell Mr O’Neill that she didn’t have any idea where Sandi was.’ He thought. He didn’t have much time to ponder this before he was washed out of the classroom...

 

Next thing he knew he was lying on the ground. He got up and saw Tiffany lying in a puddle.

 

“Are you ok, Tiffany?” he asked.

 

“I’m Freeeezing, and my hair is ruuuined,” Tiffany said. ‘At least that is all she is worried about,’ he thought. He waited for a little while and then she sat up. He then thought of Quinn and leapt back into the classroom, causing a splash.

 

 

Jeffy Brown was looking over at Quinn when the water appeared. ‘This is not good!’ he thought. He noticed that the water was not going down. He swam over to the closest window. He tried to open it, without success. ‘Come on!’ he thought. He gave it more tries and it eventually opened. 10 seconds later the water was down to the level of the bottom of the windows.

 

 

“ **Sandi!** ” Quinn yelled.

 

“Oh, dear!” Mr O’Neil said, trying to make sense of what had just happened.

 

‘It is not my fault, Quinn. It is Jean’s!” Sandi said.

 

“What do you mean?” Mr O’Neill asked.

 

“I am a mischievous Genie,” Jean said.

 

‘That certainly explains this happening and those rumours at recess,’ Jeffy thought as he and Elias went over to the door to open it.

 

“But Genie’s don’t exist,” Mr O’Neill said.

 

“But, how would you explain what just happened?” Stacy asked.

 

“I don’t have an explanation,” Mr O’Neill said.

 

The door wouldn’t budge. “Great, the pressure has the door locked!” Elias said. ‘So the reason why we want to open the door is the same reason we can’t open it?’ Jeffy thought.

 

‘And again, my powers save the day,’ Sandi thought. She then applied barely sufficient pressure on the other side of the door to allow it to open. Then the rest of the water cascaded out of the classroom and into the corridor outside, taking with it some chairs and many very soggy books.

‘I never have used my powers so much in one day,’ she thought, thankful that her brothers did not also inherit powers from their mother.

 

“Given what has just happened, class is dismissed!” Mr O’Neill said.

 

“Great!” Elias said.

 

“Our outfits are ruined, what are we supposed to do for the next forty minutes?” Quinn asked.

 

‘That is a good observation, Quinn.’ Jeffy thought. He looked out of the door, both ways. The corridor was waterlogged. “And the corridor outside is all wet, we’d all slip!” he said.

 

 

 

In Ms Li’s office, Ms Li changed a camera view and saw the pool empty. “What!” she said. ‘Nobody can empty that pool without my knowledge!’ she thought. She then expertly changed the output from that camera to a different tape and then rewound the tape. She didn’t see Sandi in the pool in the rewind, the water suddenly reappeared. She then presses play. There was a minute of nothing and then Sandi appeared in the pool.

 

“Ms Griffin! But how?” Ms Li asked herself. She checked the timestamps as she rewound and reviewed Sandi appearing. She saw that there is no time skip. ‘This is definitely related to the rumoured events of recess and the computers suddenly acting up,’ she thought. She continued watching, and then sees Sandi and the water disappear. “Something is definitely happening. Something is causing havoc in my school! I want to know what is going on!” she said.

 

 

Back in Mr O’Neill’s classroom they were still blaming Sandi.

 

“Like, Quiet, all of you! Let me explain,” Sandi said.

 

“This had better be good, Sandi,” Quinn said, shivering.

 

“You were there when I wished to be elsewhere in the school,” Sandi stated.

 

“Yes!” Quinn said.

 

“I waaas theeere,” Tiffany said from where she was leaning against the window from outside.

 

“Right, Brooke was going to fight me for the emerald, so I wished to be elsewhere in the school, but then I appeared in the pool!” Sandi said.

 

“Bad idea, Jean!” Elias said.

 

“Gee, Elias, you like interrupting me, don’t you?” Sandi asked.

 

“Go on!” Elias said, wanting Sandi to explain what happened next. ‘Why did I ever date her? Quinn is a lot nicer,’ he thought.

 

“I knew I was going to be late to class, so I wished to be in class. The rest is obvious,” Sandi said.

 

Mr O’Neill was blubbering in the background. “Why did my class have to be the one interrupted by a mischievous genie?” he was saying.

 

“Well, this period is a bust,” Elias said.

 

“But now we’re soaked! Our outfits and classwork are ruined, and the corridor outside is now very slippery!” Quinn said.

 

“Quinn is right,” Stacy said.

 

“Right!” Sandi said, grabbing the emerald. She then wished that the water lying on the floor of the classroom and the corridors would go back into the pool.

 

 

Half of the water appeared back in the pool.

 

 

“The floor is now dry, but we are still wet!” Quinn said.

 

“Our outfits are ruined!” Stacy said, as miserable as Mr O’Neill.

 

“And our work is ruined also,” Elias said.

 

“I was getting to that!” Sandi said. She then wished that the people in the room and just outside the window would be dry, that their clothes and hair would be as if they hadn’t been wet and that the books, stationary, etc would also be dry. Jean also granted that wish.

 

The students then looked as they did when they had entered the classroom.

 

“The class is still a bust!” Elias said.

 

“Not much can be done about that, Elias. I am now, like going to continue my research from this morning. Come Jean,” Sandi said. She and Jean quickly left the classroom. Mr O’Neill was still blubbering, although Quinn was calming Stacy down. Elias helped Tiffany in through the window.

 

“What now?” Stacy asked Quinn.

 

“We will wait here until the period is finished. We need to figure out what to do about the situation with Sandi and Jean,” Quinn said.

 

“Good idea,” Elias said.

 

For the rest of the period, instead of Language Arts, the group of sophomores went through various scenarios involving Sandi and Jean. They liked none of them. They were still discussing as they went to their next classes.

 

 

Ms Li was still fuming later in the period, having not discovered the happening in the Language Arts classroom. Indeed she was mostly fretting about the failure of the cameras in the west half of the school. She had called in several electricians to look at the failures...

(She had taken notes on Sandi’s appearing and disappearing, but did not notice when half of the water had appeared back in the pool.)

 

 

Sandi and Jean arrived at the library without incident. Sandi picked up her earlier book from where she had left it and continued to read. When the period was over, she went to her next class...

 

 

The two squirrels that had observed the recess events arrived in an oak tree in the back yard of a two story red brick house on Glen Oaks Lane.

“You are early from your patrol! Report!” another squirrel said, in the Lawndale squirrel dialect.

 

“There was a non-normative event at the place that the Humans call Lawndale High School,” one of the squirrels said, giving a high pitched impression of Ms Li when saying ‘Lawndale High’.

 

“Non-normative?” the previous squirrel said.

 

Both squirrels described Sandi floating in the air and later disappearing. The other squirrel is in thought. “Thank you, I’ll inform the Emperor. Remain here and wait until the 2 junior humans return and then infiltrate the house,” he said.

 

“Yes, sir!” the 2 other squirrels said, saluting him. The senior squirrel then left.

 

 

An hour later, the senior squirrel arrived at a large oak tree in a small forest just to the west of Lawndale’s suburban fringe. A large group of squirrels appeared from behind nearby vegetation.

“Password?” a large gruff squirrel asked. The new arrival gave the password he had been given, and then was escorted into a tunnel that lead into the large tree’s root system.

 

A minute later he was high up in the tree, the heart of the **Varmittan** **Empire** , the squirrel polity that dominated the area around Lawndale.

 

“Report Captain Jaywi,” said the commander of the Varmittan forces.

 

“A Non-Normative Event has occurred at Lawndale High School,” Captain Jaywi said, repeating the high pitched impression of Ms Li from earlier.

 

The Commander of the Varmittan forces remembered Edict 004 ‘All Non-Normative Events are to be reported to the Emperor’ and so allowed Captain Jaywi audience with the Emperor.

 

 

Captain Jaywi reported the events at Lawndale High as he had heard from his two patrol officers and his orders to the same. The Emperor was then in thought.

 

“This Non-Normative Event is serious. I have to check the archives to be sure, but I think that this human female may have had found what is termed a ‘genie’,” the Emperor said.

 

“Orders, Your Majesty?” Captain Jaywi asked.

 

“Return to the Glen Oaks post. I will send relevant information if it is found,” the Emperor said.

 

 

As he left the Palace-Tree Captain Nuts reflected on the rumours of a Non-Normative Event that may had occurred the previous fall, something to do with ‘Holidays’. There was definitely a reason why the Empire kept a constant guard post at the rear of the ‘Good Time Chinese Restaurant’...

 

He returned to the Glen Oaks post an hour later.

 

 

Ms Li was talking to one of the electricians. “The cameras in the Industrial Arts Block are all working again. The power wires had somehow been severed. I certainly haven’t seen anything like it,’ he said.

 

“Thank you, Mr Wallace. How soon would it be until the cameras in the Science Block are repaired?” Ms Li said.

 

“They should be repaired by the end of the school day, but there appears to be an extra floor that is not in the blueprints,” Wallace said.

 

“Yes. Weird stuff has been happening, but that is not your concern,” Ms Li, whom had been informed of the appearance of the extra floor by Ms Barch, said. (However Ms Barch hadn’t told Ms Li everything that Andrea had said.)

 

“Ok then, the cameras on all of the floors will be working by the end of the school day,” Wallace said. He exited the office to go back to work.

‘All the cameras will be working. Maybe I can then figure out what is happening today, including with what happened to the pool water, and the report of a splashing sound in the HSIE Block,’ Ms Li thought.

 

 

At the end of the school day, Sandi sneaked out of Economics ahead of the rest of the class. She then slowly headed for the exit. However Torii was waiting around a corner...

 

“Ah, Sandi! Your uber-popularity and that of Quinn Morgendorffer too, is at an end.

 

“Gee Torii, I doubt that even a genie can do things to, like, change popularity status with a single wish!” Sandi retorted. “That would be true even of Quinn,” she continued.

 

“Oh no? I could wish for someone to become obese, or to turn your personality ‘up to eleven’ or to make Quinn more concerned about her grades. You remember ‘Academic Imprisonment’ last year, don’t you Sandi?” Torii asked.

 

“What of it? Quinn said she found it in the trash!” Sandi said, wondering what Torii was getting at.

 

Torii laughed. “Tiffany and Stacy may be gullible enough to believe that, but you and I know better!”

 

“True, what are you getting at, Torii?” Sandi asked.

 

“Give me the emerald, Sandi!” Torii said.

 

“No!” Sandi said, backing away.

 

“Yes! I’m going to change things at Lawndale High!” Torii said. She started to charge at Sandi. Sandi realised she was backed against a wall.

 

“I wish that time would stop for a while!” she cried out, touching the emerald.

 

 

Sandi could then hear the usual wish granting noise, slightly more drawn out than usual. She opened her eyes. Torii was slowing down and her voice was growing deeper. Then she stopped.

 

Jean walked up. “Well Sandi, time is not actually stopped, but at a crawl,” she said.

 

“What do you mean?” Sandi asked, glancing at the apparently frozen Torii.

 

“For every second passing for us, a millisecond is passing for everyone else. The wish has taken effect for a full second after it was fully granted,” Jean said.

 

“How long would that be?” Sandi asked.

 

“Fifteen minutes,” Jean said.

 

“Good, there is plenty of time for me to get far enough away from school. Let’s go Ten Pin Bowling,” Sandi said. She hadn’t been Ten Pin Bowling since Middle School.

 

“Good idea, relax,” Jean said. Sandi then ran off, almost knocking Torii out of place.

 

“Slow down, Sandi! Your time bubble is exceeding the speed of sound!” Jean yelled, smaller ‘time bubbles’ allowing the soundwaves to travel between their time bubbles.

 

 

14 minutes later by Sandi’s reckoning, she and the genie entered Lawndale Ten Pin Bowling Centre.

“Alright, the wish will end its effect in 10 seconds,” Jean said as they approached the lanes and the service counter.

 

“Whatever,” Sandi said, looking at a ball that was about to knock over the pins.

 

“5, 4, 3, 2, 1,” Jean said. Then Sandi and Jean re-emerged from the time bubble into the normal space-time continuum. Sandi could see the ball slowly knock over the pins and then the normal bustle of the Ten Pin Bowling Centre could be heard. She then recognised who had bowled that ball, Jane Lane.

 

 

Back at the High School, Torii heard a sharp cracking sound, like that of a whip. She saw that Sandi had disappeared into thin air. She slammed into the wall where Sandi had been standing moments before.

 

‘Great, she could have gone anywhere whilst time was ‘stopped’ she thought. She didn’t consider herself a ‘brain’ but she knew enough to know that time wouldn’t completely stop.  ‘I guess that I should go home now,’ she thought. She then started walking out of the school, automatically judging the popularity of the students she saw as she went by. She overheard Quinn and her posse discussing the day’s events as she left the school.

 

 

Sandi and Jean had chosen a lane next to Jane and her bowling partner, whose name on the score screen was given as ‘Tom’ (verses Jane’s ‘Janie’).

 

“I wish for a winning streak,” Sandi said, as she went for her first bowl. (Her and Jean’s names on the score screen were ‘Sandi’ and ‘Jeani’ respectively.) Jean reluctantly granted the wish.

 

“Your wish is granted!” Jean said.

“Excellent!” Sandi said as she bowled.

 

 

Jane looked as Sandi got her second strike on her 4th frame. “She’s good. Suspiciously good!” she told her boyfriend, Tom Sloane.

 

“What do you mean?” Tom asked.

 

“That’s Sandi Griffin. She is the President of the Fashion Club. The most physical exertion that she usually does is Power Yoga,” Jane said, remembering the time when she and her best friend videotaped her sister for a class project.

 

“Isn’t that the group that Daria’s sister is part of?” Tom asked.

 

“Exactly,” Jane said.

 

“So it is suspicious?” Tom asked.

 

“Exactly, I mean, the last time I saw Sandi bowling, we were in Elementary School,” Jane said.

 

“Sounds like an interesting story,” Tom said.

 

“Oh it is. Bowl and I’ll tell you,” Jane said, laughing. Tom then took his turn, knocking over 6 pins.

 

 

**5 years, 9 months earlier**

_“It was my 11 th birthday and Trent surprised me by showing up at the front of the Elementary School in the Tank shortly after school had let out. He had gotten his licence 2 months before and had borrowed the Tank for the occasion. He winds down the window. “Happy Birthday, Janie,” he said. I get in and he says that we are going bowling as a birthday treat._

Trent and Jane Lane carry their balls over to the bowling lane that they’re using. “Better than the usual art supplies isn’t it Janie?” Trent asked.

 

“Penny gave me art supplies, Mom says she will give me my present when I get home. I haven’t heard from the others. Thanks Trent,” Jane said, she hugged him. Trent smiled.

 

They were bowling their second frame when they see another family set up in the lane next to them – the Griffins, Sandi, her brothers Sam and Chris and their mother, Linda.

 

“What are you looking at?” Sandi said when she noticed Jane looking at her.

 

“Nothing,” Jane said and bowled.

 

5 minutes later, Sandi bowled and missed the pins, twice. She got angry and moodily skulked back to the seats. Linda gave her a look of disapproval. Linda then bowled and got a spair. Sam knocked down 8 pins and Chris managed to knock over 3. In the meantime the Lanes got a higher combined score than all the Griffins combined, including a strike by Trent.

 

Sandi bowled again and again got a nil score. “Why can’t I, like, hit the pins!” she shouted. She kicked the ball retrieval mechanism.

 

“Alexandra! Hold your temper!” Linda shouted, with a disapproving look and her hands on her hips.

 

“Yes, mother!” she said, trying to calm down.

 

“It’s my turn,”

 

“No, it’s my turn,” Sam said.

 

“It’s my turn!” Chris said.

 

“It’s _my_ turn!” Sam said.

 

“It is Sam’s turn!” Linda said.

 

 

_Sandi continued to bowl poorly through the rest of that game. She even got a lower score than her 5 year old brother. She was seething with temper all the while. I heard that she had to go to anger management classes when she was 13. I suspect that is one reason why she has a hold over Quinn and the other two, she doesn’t like losing control._

 

 

**End of flashback**

 

 

“Interesting,” Tom said, “I hope she hasn’t overheard,” he continued.

 

“I don’t think so,” Jane said. Indeed, Sandi was focusing on her genie-magic enhanced bowling...

 

“And the point is?” Tom asked, referring to Jane’s earlier comment that Sandi’s bowling was ‘suspiciously good.’

 

“There have been rumours of magic occurring at school today,” Jane said.

 

“Really? Is that all?” Tom asked.

 

“No, Daria and I overheard Quinn and her trio of admirers talking about a classroom filled with water. Daria made a comment to Quinn about it, and Quinn retorted that it was true, and the three admirers backed her up on it.

 

“A classroom filled with water?” Tom asked dubiously.

 

“One of the admirers, I think it was the one whose name Quinn constantly forgets, said that it just appeared,” Jane said.

 

“Really?” Tom asked, even more dubiously.

 

“And then there is the extra floor on one of the school buildings. Ms Li would never be able to hide that, no matter how paranoid she is!” Jane said.

 

“An extra floor on a school building? I suppose that could be proof of magic. So you are saying that Sandi is involved and is somehow enhancing her bowling using this magic?” Tom asked.

 

“Exactly,” Jane said.

 

“Any more rumours?” Tom asked. Jane shrugged and bowled her turn, which had been held up whilst she and Tom had been discussing. She then told Tom about the Genie rumours she had heard. They continued talking through their game.

 

 

After she had finished bowling Sandi went home and hid the emerald in her room. She stayed there doing her homework until her mother came knocking on the door demanding that she come down for dinner.

 

 

Quinn Morgendorffer arrived home at 7:30, having spent the afternoon talking to Stacy, Tiffany, Jeffy, Joey and her other admirer about Sandi and the genie. Their discussions had been inconclusive. ‘One thing is for certain, things are never going to be the same again,’ she thought as she opened her door.

Jake, her father, was watching the television and going on yet another rant about his childhood, whilst her mother, Helen, was on the phone talking to her boss. Slightly depressing Classical music was filtering down the stairs from Daria’s room. She closed the door and smiled. ‘At least things are still normal here,’ she thought.

 

“Daddy! Your Heart!” she said as she went to her father. His rant was getting serious...

 

“Hi, Quinn!” he said.

 

 

One of the squirrels assigned to the Varmittan Glen Oaks Post saw Quinn enter the living room from his vantage point next to the sliding door. He then went to inform Captain Jaywi that all of the Morgendorffers were home.

 

“Captain, the entire family are home,” he said, once in the oak tree.

 

“Good, you and Yogez go down and watch near the kitchen door and listen for information about the Non-Normative Event whilst they have their ‘dinner’,” Captain Jaywi said.

 

“Yes, Captain!”

 

 

10 minutes later, the Morgendorffers were sitting around the table for their usual dinner, micro-waved lasagne.

 

“Did anything interesting happen at school today?” Helen asked.

 

“You wouldn’t believe the half of it!” Quinn said.

 

“Why wouldn’t I believe it, Quinn?” Helen asked.

 

“’Cause it would sound totally crazy! The events were totally fantastical!” Quinn said.

 

“I wouldn’t say, _totally_ fantastical,” Daria said, with her usual sarcasm.

 

“Maybe not _totally_ fantastical, but the events at school today were rather close!” Quinn said.

 

“Fantastical, in what way? What has that Ms Li gotten the student body into now?” Helen asked.

 

“Mo-om! It has nothing to do with Ms Li!” Quinn said. Helen had a confused look on her face, Quinn was being rather elusive.

 

“Mom, if one talked about magic, extra floors appearing on school buildings and rumours of pool water in classrooms the listeners would be convinced that the speaker was going crazy, or that they were making up a story. And that is just what I had heard by the end of the day,” Daria said.

 

“You are right. I would think that someone saying that would be crazy. I also think that is a _great_ idea for one of your stories,” Helen said.

 

“I wish it was,” Daria said. Helen could tell that her older daughter was telling the truth.

 

“Quinn, is what Daria is saying true? About magic and extra floors?” Helen asked.

 

“That wasn’t the half of it. Much more stuff occurred,” Quinn said.

 

“Isn’t this like a Disney movie?” Jake asked. “Not that I ever got to see a Disney movie when I was a kid! I wanted to see _101 Dalmatians_! But no! My _Father_ said that animal and Disney movies were for sissies!”

 

“Jake!”

 

“Da-ad!”

 

“Didn’t we see _The Lion King_ when it finally appeared at Highland’s cinema?”

 

“Yes, we did, kiddo. Thanks. What were we talking about?”

 

“Quinn was saying that fantastical events occurred at the High School today,” Helen said.

 

“Right, I became aware of it when I heard Tiffany ask why Sandi was floating. I then saw that Sandi _was_ floating,” Quinn began. She continued to spill the beans about what had happened at recess and during the following period.

 

 

“So Quinn, can anyone else back up this fantastical story?” Helen asked.

 

“The idea of Sandi Griffin with the power a genie can give her is frightening,” Daria said, her voice showing a trace amount of fear.

 

“Dar-i-a! Didn’t I say that?” Anyway, Stacy and Tiffany can back me up. So can Jeffy, Joey and Jordan. Mr O’Neill can vouch for the water filled classroom. Then there are the other members of the class. Ms Barch was aware of the extra floor almost from the outset. That Goth chick was present when Sandi was one-upped by the genie. That Ted guy is also aware from Elias telling him...” Quinn began.

 

“That is enough Quinn,” Helen interrupted. “As soon as we’re finished eating, I’ll be calling the Rowe’s and the Blum-Deckler’s.”

 

“Ok,” Quinn said.

 

 

Helen called the Rowe’s and Stacy filled her in on her point of view of the happenings that day. Stacy corroborated Quinn’s story and gave Helen much more extra information.

 

Tiffany also corroborated Quinn and Stacy’s stories and gave her extra information (though nowhere near the amount that Stacy did.)

 

 

Over an hour later, an almost exhausted Helen clicked off the phone from her conversation with Mr O’Neill. His story and those of Joey, Jeffy and Jamie corroborated with those of Quinn, Stacy and Tiffany.

 

She briefly considered calling the Griffin’s but decided not to. If the idea of Sandi with a genie was frightening to her older daughter, who wasn’t usually frightened by anything, then the idea of _Linda_ with a genie was even more frightening!

 

‘There is nothing that can be done about it tonight. Quinn and her friends will have to keep an eye on Sandi tomorrow at school and then tomorrow afternoon I will see if I can get off work and talk to their parents,’ she thought. She hoped that she would be able to get off work, Vitale, Davis, Horowitz, Rhiordan, Shrechter and Shrechter had a large case load, and she wasn’t sure whether she could trust Jake with trying to talk to the other parents. She then went up to bed.

 

 

Meanwhile the junior squirrels had reported to Captain Jaywi the information that Quinn had divulged to her family.

“So it is a genie; just as the Emperor suspected!” Captain Jaywi said.

 

“Yes,” Yogez said. Captain Jaywi was in thought.

 

“The Emperor has to be informed. This Griffin girl could cause a lot of trouble with that genie,” he said. He then looked at the sky. It was way past sunset and the moon wasn’t visible, it having been the new moon the day before.

 “It can wait until the morning though,” he continued. The Varmittan Empire only conducted its business at night if it was an absolute emergency. As serious as the Non-Normative Event sequence appeared, it was still not an _absolute_ emergency.

 

“We wait until morning?” the other junior squirrel said.

 

“As soon as most of the stars have disappeared, I will go to the Palace-Tree,” Captain Jaywi said. The two junior squirrels agreed.

 

 

The squirrels were not the only eavesdroppers upon the Morgendorffer family’s discussion about the events of the day. A family of sapient mice living in the space between the ceiling of the kitchen and the floorboards of Daria’s bedroom had also overheard their discussion.

 

After Helen had called Stacy, the mice went into a discussion of their own...

 

“...this is serious! There hasn’t been a verified genie in Pennsylvania for decades!” one of them said.

 

“What can be done? It is a human with a genie! It is not like we can just grab it off this ‘Sandi’ person. She’d just wish us away!” one of the other mice said.

 

“Maybe the Varmittan Squirrels can help us?” another mouse said.

 

And so the mice argued amongst themselves for over an hour about what to do, before deciding to convene with the other mice of that section of Glen Oaks Lane in the morning.

 

 

At 8:30 Stacy Rowe went up to her bedroom. She was tired from her discussion with Quinn’s mother about the events of the day. Her own mother had hardly believed what they were talking about, until she had talked to Helen herself.

 

Stacy opened her most recent diary and began writing about the events of the day.

 

 

 _Diary of Anastasia Elizabeth ‘Stacy’ Rowe – February 18, 1999_ (Summary)

If someone had told me yesterday that the events that happened today would happen in the next 24 hours, I would have told them that they were crazy. And yet they have happened and so I am still trying to come to terms with them. I keep expecting to wake up to find out that it was just a dream!

It all started when Tiffany and I arrived at school...

 

Arriving at School – Where is Sandi? Waiting for Quinn, looking for Sandi.

 

Homeroom

 

Information about meeting Sandi and Jean outside the history classroom.

 

Summary of History notes

 

Summary of Mathematics notes

 

The weird events of recess, beginning with Tiffany’s noticing that Sandi was floating until Sandi’s confrontation with Brooke.

 

Events of the aborted Language Arts lesson.

 

 

**Language Arts Lesson**

_I thought that the problems caused by Jean’s mischievous nature would not have had continued into the next class. After all she hadn’t caused problems in History or Mathematics. But I was wrong, very wrong. I had got out my copy of Charles Dickens’_ David Copperfield _and my notebook and then the classroom filled with water!_

 

 

‘Oh no! Why are Sandi and/or Jean acting like this?’ she thought, beginning to panic. She looked around. She saw that Sandi had appeared and was glaring at Jean. ‘Not entirely her fault then,’ she thought. She also saw Quinn glaring at Sandi. ‘Good, Quinn,’ she thought, feeling the usual fondness for her best friend.

‘OMG! If Jean doesn’t displace the water we’re going to drown!’ she started crying and her heart rate went up. At least with the water no one would notice the tears, but she knew that an accelerated heart rate wouldn’t help matters at all.

She then saw that the water was going down. She looked over to the window to see Tiffany float out!

‘Tiffany!’ she thought in anguish.

5 seconds later the water level was down to the level of the windows.

 

“ **Sandi!** ” Quinn yelled.

 

“Oh, dear!” Mr O’Neil said, it was clear that he was trying to make sense of the situation. Stacy went over to the window and saw that Joey was asking Tiffany if she was ok. ‘Good of you, Joey,’ she thought.

 

“I’m Freeeezing, and my hair is ruuuined,” Tiffany said in response to Joey’s question. She could see that Tiffany was ok. Joey then jumped back into the classroom, causing a splash.

 

Stacy then listened to the conversation in the classroom.

 

“I am a mischievous Genie,” Jean said.

 

“But Genie’s don’t exist,” Mr O’Neill said.

 

“But, how would you explain what just happened?” Stacy asked, wondering how else Mr O’Neill could explain it.

 

“I don’t have an explanation,” Mr O’Neill said.

 

 

_Elias and Jeffy opened the door and the water emptied from the classroom, carrying many books and chairs with it. Quinn was angry. She blamed Sandi for the happenstance. I was angrier at Jean. It wasn’t really Sandi’s fault that the Genie that she has found is mischievous._

 

 

 

**End of Flashback**

 

The conclusion of the happening in the Language Arts classroom and discussions about the genie.

 

Summary of Science notes

 

Summary of discussions at lunch

 

Summary of Geography notes

 

Summary of Economics notes

 

Post school discussions about Sandi and the genie at the Blum Deckler’s house.

 

Arrival at home and dinner

 

Discussion with Mrs Morgendorffer and Mom

 

In conclusion, the events of the day were confusing and frightening. We do not know what is going to happen tomorrow or on any of the days after that. I do hope that Sandi will not use the power that the Emerald is giving her for ill. Tomorrow I will be meeting Quinn and Tiffany at Quinn’s house before going to school. I hope that tonight’s sleep will allow us rest and that clearer heads will allow us to come to some sort of decision before we go to school.

 

Weather forecast for tomorrow: Maximum temperature 50 degrees Fahrenheit, overcast with possible rainfall or snow later in the evening.

 

Having finished writing in her diary, Stacy set her alarm to 7:00 and tried to go to sleep.

 

 

 

**White House Situation Room, Washington DC**

President William Jefferson Clinton was looking at a satellite image of an area of a town, centred around a high school.

“What is significant about this Pennsylvania town anyway?” he asked.

 

“A variety of weird events have been reported from Lawndale and its vicinity ever since the town was founded, Mr President. However the reason why you are here is a specific happening that happened today.”

 

“What is that event?” the President asked, all business.

 

The image changed zooming into the High School. “This is Lawndale High School. This image was taken this morning at 0800. This is the school as it normally is, Mr President,” the National Security Advisor said.

 

The image changed, showing the extra floor on the science block. “And this is school as it is now. This image was taken at 1400.”

 

The President looked at the image with incredulity. “Is that an extra floor on one of the school’s buildings?” he asked.

 

“Precisely, Mr President, there are many theories as to how this has occurred, but all of them involve magic.”

 

That got the President’s attention. He had been briefed on many organisations and groups that used magic shortly after his inauguration, but none of them had been active anywhere near Pennsylvania. “The closest group I can think of is the Salam Coven,” he said, thinking of the most active group that he was aware of.

 

“They have been inactive since last September, Mr President. They have gone into hiding,” the National Security Advisor said.

 

“What is your theory?” the President asked.

 

“Our experts in the matter have largely theorised that it may be what is termed a ‘genie’, Mr President.

 

The President was surprised. He hadn’t been informed of the possibility of the existence of genies. He argued with the National Security Advisor about why he had not been informed (most of the evidence was indirect and there hadn’t been any activity that would be conclusive evidence on record in American territory at any point after 1776).

 

The briefing went on for another 20 minutes.

 

 

**Elsewhere**

Other organisations, both part of the United States Government and _not_ part of it, were aware of some aspect of the events in Lawndale and were each making their own plans and preparing to send agents to the suburban town...


	3. Chapter 2 - Friday Adventures

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quinn, Stacy and Tiffany plan, Jane tells Trent about the previous day, Sam Griffin discovers Sandi's secret, Andrea gets in trouble with Ms. Li, and one of Jane's former track team members investigates the new floor on the Science Block.

**Chapter 2: Friday Adventures**

**Friday February 19, 1999**

**Lawndale**

_1111 Glen Oaks Lane 4:30_

Quinn awoke from a strange dream. ‘I don’t know what to make of that,’ she thought. She tried to go back to sleep.

 

She soon found that she couldn’t so she decided to go down to the kitchen for a healthy snack.

However she found that she was not the only one who was up. Daria was sitting at the table reading a book and drinking from a cup when she walked in.

 

“Couldn’t sleep either?” Quinn asked.

 

“Something like that,” Daria said.

 

Quinn grabbed some carrot sticks and poured some milk. She then sat down across from Daria and sighed.

 

“Something on your mind?” Daria asked.

 

“Huh?”

 

“You look deep in thought. You don’t usually look like that.”

 

“Funny,” Quinn said, in her usual tone of voice. She then continued, more seriously. “It’s this situation you know? It is going to change everything! The Fashion Club, the social dynamic at school, the guys whom I date, possibly even all of Lawndale itself. It is frightening. It is as you said, Daria. The very idea of Sandi with a genie is frightening! The only reason why things weren’t worse yesterday is that Sandi hadn’t realised the full potential, and that Jean’s mischievousness is good natured,” Quinn said.

 

“You are right. It is going to change everything. Especially if either Ms Li or Sandi’s Mom find out,” Daria said.

 

Quinn thought, and didn’t like what she speculated (especially when she realised that Ms Li would use the genie to install _more_ security measures for the school). “Dar-i-a! That is more frightening than with Sandi!”

 

“Exactly, that is one thing that you have to bring up with Stacy and Tiffany when they get here at breakfast. I will be talking to Jane around the same time. We could then meet at the school and discuss our decisions,” Daria said.

 

“Dar-ia! If I mention the possibility of the genie falling into the hands of either the principal or Mrs Griffin, Stacy would faint, and then she would be basically a wreck!” Quinn said.

 

“Quinn, they need to be informed of that possibility, or your discussions may be for naught,” Daria said.

 

Quinn was then in thought, for a moment and then spoke, “You are right, Daria, much as I hate to admit that. We may be late to school though.” She was sure that calming Stacy down would take up much of their time.

 

“If you are running late, you can continue your discussion on the way to school,” Daria suggested.

 

“I guess we had better and maybe Jeffy can give me a ride,” Quinn said. They talked for another minute about the situation.

 

 

“But now I don’t feel like going back to sleep!” Quinn said.

 

“Neither do I,” Daria said.

 

“But what are we going to _do_ for the next few hours?”

 

“The same way we used to spend the wee small hours together when we were younger,” Daria said, as she stood up and went towards the living room.

 

“Video games? Sure, though I am mostly out of practice.”

 

“Which console do you want to use? The SNES or the N64?”

 

“SNES?” Quinn asked, confused. She knew what N64 meant but ‘SNES’ had her confused.

 

“You know, the Super Nintendo,” Daria said, as she pointed to where the system in question lay beneath the television and the VCR.

 

“Oh, it’s an acronym! Duh, Quinn!” she murmured to herself. “Maybe the N64, but I am not sure what game,” she continued.

 

“Ok,” Daria said, she unplugged the SNES and plugged in the N64. She and Quinn then played _Mario Kart 64_.

 

 

_324 Eichler Street 5:00_

Stacy awoke trembling as she remembered the events of the day before. “It was just a dream,” she said. She then realised, “or _was_ it?” she grabbed her diary and read the most recent entry.

“So, it did happen!” She fainted back into her bed.

 

5 minutes later, Stacy came to. She remembered everything from the day before, from the incident at recess, to the conversation with Quinn’s mom. She re-read the diary entry.

 

She knew that she wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep, so she went down to the living room and took out the PlayStation. ‘I haven’t played this for a while. This will help me keep my mind off things until it’s time to go to Quinn’s,’ she thought. She found _Final Fantasy VII_ and put the disk into the system.

 

 

_111 Howard Drive 5:30_

Jane was in the kitchen, looking for an early breakfast, when her brother Trent entered after a night of practice with his band, Mystik Spiral.

“You are up early, Janie,” he said.

 

“So are you,” Jane countered.

 

“Practice ran late, or early,” Trent said. He saw that his younger sister was in thought. “Something on your mind?” he asked.

 

“Oh, I told Tom about my 11th birthday,” Jane said.

 

“Cool,” Trent said, as he remembered that day.

 

“He thought so too. Anyway the problem is with the reason why I told him,” Jane said. Trent waited. “You remember the family we bowled next to, right?”

 

“Yes, the daughter had anger issues,” Trent said, wondering where Jane was going with this line of conversation.

 

“Yes. She is also the leader of the clique that Daria’s sister is part of,” Jane said.

 

“What are you getting at Janie?”

 

“Sandi was bowling next to Tom and I and she was bowling well. However I also remembered rumours that were going around school yesterday.”

 

“Since when do you pay attention to rumours at school?”

 

“Not often, but hear this. An extra floor appeared on the top of the science block yesterday! And the teachers don’t know how,” Jane said.

 

Trent could see that that his younger sister was not pulling his leg.

 

“So you are saying that this girl is involved in some kind of magic?” Trent asked, he had seen much of Lawndale in his 22 years, and some of what he had seen couldn’t be explained rationally...

 

“Exactly, Daria’s sister and her not so tame pack of football players also mentioned a classroom full of water, when we passed them in the hall,” Jane said.

 

“Something is definitely happening.”

 

“Daria called late last night, she said that Quinn spilled the beans to her family. She mentioned a genie. She is coming over at 7:00 and then we are going to talk about the situation. It seemed like she was unwilling to trust the phone for some reason,” Jane said.

 

“Is that it?”

 

“Yeah,” Jane said, in thought about what Daria might be telling her when she came over.

 

Trent was concerned for his sister. “Maybe I can get the old Atari out of the Attic and we can play something? Something to do, if you can’t get to sleep,” he said. Sleep was never a difficulty for Trent, narcoleptic as he was (Indeed the difficulty was staying awake for long periods).

 

Jane briefly considered the idea. “That is a very good idea,” she said. Trent went out to the stairs. ‘Although I may be spoiled by the arcades and the Morgendorffers’ Nintendo’s,’ she thought. She then went upstairs herself and waited for Trent near the bottom of the attic stairs.

 

Trent came down from the attic with a box with the 2600 system on the top of it. “Which game do you want to play first?” he asked.

 

 

Jane finished connecting the Atari to the television in her bedroom. “Let’s see, _Pac-Man_ , _Space Invaders_ , _E.T. the Extra Terrestrial_ , Trent! That is the worst game of all time! Why do we have it?”

 

“Hmm, I guess that is why Wind said that the store was almost full of them when he bought it,” Trent said, referring to his and Jane’s older brother.

 

“At least the first 2 are amongst the best games of all time,” Jane said, putting the _Pac-Man_ cartridge into the console. ‘Of course Wind would get it,’ she mused.

 

She and Trent took turns playing _Pac-Man_ until Trent fell asleep and then Jane continued playing until Daria arrived.

 

 

_631 Bernstein Avenue 6:00_

Tiffany awoke and looked at her bedside clock. ‘I may as well get up,’ she thought. She remembered the events of the previous day, from Sandi’s floating until her discussion with Quinn’s mother. ‘I hope Quinn and Stacy will know what to do,’ she thought. She thought about the ways that Lawndale could change as a result of Sandi’s finding a genie. All of the conclusions she reached frightened her.

‘I still have an hour until I have to go to Quinn’s,’ she thought. She thought of a way to occupy her time. She then recalled the old Sega, that was down in the den. ‘I haven’t played anything since I started high school,’ she thought.

 

Tiffany found the Sega Genesis where she remembered it to be and carefully plugged it in to the den’s television. Certain that she had gotten the connections right she selected a game and plugged the cartridge in.

 

She was soon playing the game, sending the character all over the screen. “Sonic is fa-ast!” she said with her eyes on the blue hedgehog...

 

 

_Varmittan Imperial Palace-Tree 6:30_

“So it is a Genie!” the Varmittan Emperor exclaimed.

 

“Yes. The younger of the two human children was quite adamant about that!” Captain Jaywi said, as he tried to contain his excitement.

 

“I have read the archives, the previous mention of a genie in the ‘Pennsylvania’ region was in Oakwood, 30 years ago, 5 moon cycles before the humans made their first landing upon the moon,” the Emperor said.

 

“What occurred?” Captain Jaywi asked, curious.

 

“There was some chaos prior to the genie disappearing in the third day of the incident. Prior to that there was a sighting 60 years ago in Middlebury, but the information from then is fragmentary,” the Emperor said. Captain Jaywi knew why the information would be fragmentary, something to do with a War involving Europe...

 

The Emperor and the captain continued their discussion before the Emperor sent the Captain back to Glen Oaks Lane.

 

 

Tiffany looked at the clock as she switched off the Sega. ‘Yikes! I have to be at Quinn’s in 10 minutes!’ she thought. Just as well her house was only 2 blocks from the Morgendorffers. She went up to her room, grabbed her handbag and came back downstairs. “Bye, Mommy,” she said as she ran out the back door... She then went into the laneway.

 

 

_324 Eichler Street 7:06_

Stacy looked at the time. “Oh no! I have lost track of time!” she said. She then saved the game and then rushed upstairs to get changed.

 

5 minutes later she came down the stairs, turned off the PlayStation (and put it away) and then ran out the front door.

 

 

Daria met Tiffany at the door as she was going out. “See you at school, Quinni,” Daria said.

 

“Quinni?” Tiffany asked.

 

“It is a nickname, like when Kevin calls his friend ‘Mack-Daddy’,” Daria said.

 

“Only not so annoying,” Quinn said as she turned off the N64 and started walking over.

 

“Oh yeah, like when my name is short-tened to Tiff.”

 

“’Ari’, do you see Stacy?”

 

Daria glared at Quinn for a fraction of a second before stepping out of the door, past Tiffany and looking up and down the street for Stacy. “She is nowhere to be seen. Does she always lack punctuality?”

 

“In Middle School, she was all-ways, Tard-dy.”

 

“She is usually the last to arrive at Fashion Club meetings,” Quinn said.

 

“If I see her, I’ll tell her that you are waiting,” Daria said, as she set out for Jane’s. Quinn watched her sister walk out to the sidewalk before turning back to Tiffany.

 

“Let’s go wait in the kitchen, we will wait for five minutes and then start our discussion without her.”

 

“I hope she gets here soo-on,” Tiffany said as she closed the door.

 

 

_512 Grandstaff Drive 7:20_

Sandi awoke. ‘Hard to believe that I released a mischievous genie yesterday,’ she thought. She got out of bed, and walked to her door. She opened it and looked down the hall towards the guest bedroom, where Jean was supposedly sleeping. ‘Maybe I should have had asked her whether she has to sleep or not,’ she thought. She gathered her clothes and towel out of the closet and went to the bathroom.

 

 

Stacy was racing along in a tremendous hurry, indeed as she turned a corner she crashed into Daria. They both fell, with Stacy ending up on top of Daria.

“Stacy, Watch where you are going!”

 

“Oh! I’m so _sorry!_ ” Stacy said, in apology, starting to hyperventilate as she got up. Daria also got to her feet.

 

“No big problem, just watch out. A car might be backing out. I also must say that Quinn and Tiffany are waiting. They may have already started without you.”

 

“Oh no! I hope that they will fill me in on what they have discussed. Sometimes when I am late to a Fashion Club meeting, Sandi won’t tell me what I have missed.”

 

“I am sure that they will. Tiffany only got there 5 -10 minutes ago, at just about the same time that I left.”

 

Stacy thought for a moment. “Good! Bye,” Stacy said. She then ran off towards the Morgendorffers house.

 

Daria looked back at the hurrying Stacy. “I hope she doesn’t crash into anyone else.” She then continued towards Casa Lane (as Jane called her house).

 

 

Back at the Griffin’s, Sam Griffin (the middle child) saw Sandi go into the bathroom. ‘Time for some investigating,’ he thought. He then tip-toed to Chris’s door and looked inside. He saw that his brother was still asleep. ‘Good, I can investigate without his annoying interference.’

 

He then went into Sandi’s room...

 

He soon found what he was looking for, the emerald! ‘What is so special about this stone, that Sandi is suddenly carrying it wherever she goes?’ he thought. He gave it a rub, and then another. When Jean appeared out of thin air, sitting on Sandi’s bed, he was frightened out of his wits!

 

“Eep!” He let out as he promptly fell to the floor.

 

 

Stacy narrowly avoided being hit by a car that was backing out as she ran along the Glen Oaks Lane sidewalk. “Watch where you are going!” the driver said.

 

“Sorry!” Stacy shouted back. She could now see the Morgendorffer residence up ahead.

 

 

When Sam came to, he could see Jean sitting at Sandi’s computer. “You know, Sam, this ‘internet’ is very interesting. It is a veritable treasure trove of information from all around the world, where people can communicate without knowing each other’s real names. Oh, I also gave your family a free ‘broadband’ connection rather than that rather slow ‘dial up’” she said.

 

“So you are a genie?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Sandi found this and you are now granting her wishes?”

 

“She found it on Wednesday. I started granting her wishes yesterday, after she was scared in a similar manner to you.”

 

“Really?” Sam asked. He thought about it. ‘I remember Jean arriving on Wednesday, but I didn’t actually see her until yesterday. I guess that the ‘exchange student’ cover was a wish by Sandi.’

 

“Yes. There was some chaos occurring at the High School as a result, but nothing too serious,” Jean said.

 

“What sort of chaos?’ Sam asked, now curious.

 

“Oh, pool water in classrooms, people floating in the air, time anomalies...” Jean said.

 

Sam was surprised. “Oh, I guess Sandi would do those things, if she had reason,” he said.

 

“No, that was me being mischievous. I made Sandi float in the air and later filled her English classroom with water. Sandi wished for Voice Recognition software, and for better bowling skills,” Jean said.

 

“I can believe that,” Sam said, remembering most of the Griffin family bowling games where Sandi would get a low score compared to the rest of the family.

 

“So, do you wish for anything? You do have the emerald, anyone holding it has unlimited wishes.”

 

Sam thought for a moment, he was sure of one thing. He didn’t want Chris to share in whatever he wished up. “Ok, I wish for a scale model of this house made of LEGO.”

 

“Granted,” Jean said, with the usual gesture and sound. A large LEGO model of the Griffin residence appeared in the middle of the room.

 

“Cool!” Sam said as he looked at the LEGO model, looked very much like the house, the bricks having the same colours as the bricks and tiles of the house. He looked into the window that corresponded to Sandi’s room. He could see a couple of LEGO people, dressed like him and Jean and a model of the model.

 

“Samuel Josiah Griffin!” Sandi had returned to the room. “What are you, like, doing in my room?” she asked, with her voice raised, though not quite shouting.

 

“Eep!”

 

“Jean! Did you tell him?” the look on Sandi’s face implied that she knew what the answer was going to be, but wanted it anyway.

 

“Yes.”

 

“Sam! Give me the Emerald!” Sandi said, she jumped over the LEGO model, and began wrestling with Sam for the emerald...

 

‘This will be interesting,’ Jean thought.

 

 

Stacy ran up to the Morgendorffers’ front door and pounded on it.  Quinn quickly opened the door. “Relax. Stacy; Tiff and I haven’t discussed anything yet,” she said.

 

“What is all that racket?” Jake asked as he came down the stairs.

 

‘Oh my gosh! Did I wake him?’ Stacy thought to herself. “Oh no! Did I _wake_ you, Mr Morgendorffer?”

 

Jake could see Stacy’s distress. “Don’t worry. I was up. I have a meeting with a client at nine,” he said.

 

“That’s ok.” Stacy said as she entered the house. “What have you been talking about?” she continued.

 

“Oh, we have been comparing Mario and Sonic, about how they are so heroic in defending the innocent from Bowser and Dr Robotnik,” Quinn said, as she lead the way into the living room.

 

‘Sounds cool, but don’t the fans of those two series don’t like each other?’ Stacy thought. ‘Cool! I hope you haven’t been fighting...” she said.

 

“Why would we be fighting?” Quinn asked.

 

“I heard that Nintendo fans and Sega fans don’t exactly get along,” Stacy said.

 

That was news to Quinn. “Ok,” she said as she entered the kitchen.

 

 

“First order of business, I need to tell you of a horrifying possibility. Two actually,” Quinn said.

 

“What are these horrifying possibilities?” Stacy asked.

 

“Hor-riffying?”

 

“Either Sandi’s Mom or Ms. Li could get their hands on the emerald!” Quinn said.

 

“Oh no!” Stacy said, as she hyperventilated yet again. She fainted onto the kitchen table.

 

“I knew this would happen,” Quinn said, as she got up.

 

“Why bring it up?” Tiffany asked.

 

“Because we need to consider the possibility!” Quinn said, as she tried to revive Stacy.

 

 

Sandi managed to grab the emerald off Sam. “Ha! You little brat!” she said as she climbed onto the bed. Her hair was a mess, but she could see that Sam’s pyjama top was torn.

 

“I won’t tell anyone. Mom and Dad wouldn’t believe it anyway and why would I tell Chris? He sucks!”

 

Sandi thought about the last sentiment. Why _couldn’t_ her brothers get along? Life would have been a lot easier if their sibling rivalry wasn’t so intense. “That’s good. Now, like, get out of here!”

 

“What about the LEGO model?” Sam asked. The LEGO in question disappeared. “What!” he continued.

 

“It is now in your room,” Jean said.

 

“Good!” Sam said “I’ll see you at breakfast,” he said to his sister, as he went out of her room. Sandi closed the door.

 

“It is only a matter of time until the rest of your family finds out, Sandi. I suspect that it would be Chris next. I am sure that he would be more of a blabber than Sam,” Jean said.

 

Sandi leaned against the door. “I shudder to think of what might happen if Mom found out!” she lamented.

 

Jean shuddered on the bed. “She would certainly change Lawndale for the worse!” she said.

 

‘Good that she agrees with me on that!’ Sandi thought. She considered her next action. She needed some way of keeping track of the wishes that were made. She then thought of such a way. She was still holding the emerald. “I wish that all of the wishes that have been, like, granted by you and this emerald since yesterday until further notice would be recorded somehow,” She said.

 

“That’s easy,” Jean said, and granted the wish. A book appeared on Sandi’s bed. Sandi went over and picked it up.

 

“Book of Granted Wishes,” she read from the cover. She opened the book and saw a list of granted wishes starting from the second page.

 

 

List of Wishes granted on  February 18, 1999

 

Sandi Griffin wishes for: Jean Jenner to be remembered by Tom, Linda, Sam and Chris Griffin as an exchange student.

 

Sandi Griffin wishes for: Jean Jenner to be in all relevant enrolment records at Lawndale High.

 

Sandi Griffin wishes for: All the computers at Lawndale High to have voice recognition software and the components necessary for that software to work

 

Sandi Griffin wishes for: Jean Jenner to know what to say to Principal Angela Li

 

Sandi Griffin wishes for: Herself to be let down by Jean!

 

Sandi Griffin wishes for: An extra floor on Lawndale High’s Science Block

 

Sandi Griffin wishes for: Herself to be elsewhere in Lawndale High

 

Sandi Griffin wishes for: Herself to be in her next class

 

Sandi Griffin wishes for: The water in the classroom and the corridor outside to go back into the pool

 

Sandi Griffin wishes for: The people in and just outside of the Language Arts classroom would be dry, that their clothes, hair, books and stationary would be as if they had not been underwater.

 

Sandi Griffin wishes for: Time to slow down for a while

 

Sandi Griffin wishes for: Help with Ten Pin Bowling

 

 

List of Wishes granted (so far) on  February 19, 1999

 

Sam Griffin wishes for: A LEGO model of the Griffin Residence

 

Sandi Griffin wishes for: A way of recording wishes made since February 18, 1999

 

 

“Cool,” Sandi said. She put the book and the emerald next to the computer. Now I have to get ready again!” she said as she went out of the room. Jean sighed.

 

 

Quinn handed Stacy a piece of toast with strawberry jam on it. “You know that this has carbs, right?” she said.

 

“It is healthy, unlike cheese. Anyway, as I was saying earlier, we need to consider the possibility of Ms Li or Mrs Griffin gaining control of the emerald, and what we need to do then,” Quinn said.

 

“But, Qui-inn, we haven’t figured out what to do about Sand-di having the gen-nie yet!” Tiffany said.

 

“She has a point, Quinn,” Stacy said.

 

“That is true,” Quinn said. She then asked Stacy to recount their discussion from the previous afternoon.

 

“Of course,” Stacy said, taking out a notebook.

 

‘Good thing she has eidetic memory,’ Quinn thought as Stacy began.

 

 

Daria arrived at Jane’s house and knocked on the door. There was no answer. ‘Maybe she is still asleep,’ she thought. She knew that Jane wasn’t a morning person, often requiring coffee to properly function. She found that the front door was unlocked. ‘figures, Trent forgot to lock the door,’ she thought.

 

 

Jane was on level 156 of _Pac-Man_ when Daria entered her room. “Did you and Trent play games all night?” Daria asked.

 

A ghost got Jane’s Pac-Man, bringing an end to the game. “Yo Amiga!” Jane said, getting up stiffly and ensuring that she didn’t disturb the sleeping form of Trent ‘not that it would wake him anyway,’ she mused.

“Not all night, just the last hour and a half. I couldn’t sleep and he had come back from practice with Mystik Spiral. He fell asleep, of course.”

 

“Of course,” Daria said. To say that Trent Lane fell asleep was practically a tautology.

 

“So, what is this about a Genie and what has it got to do with what happened at school yesterday?” Jane asked.

 

“Mom asked us about what happened at school and Quinn says that she wouldn’t believe it,” Daria said.

 

“And?”

 

“Mom then asked Quinn why wouldn’t she believe it, and Quinn said that the events were _totally_ fantastical, which they were,” Daria began. She then repeated everything else that Quinn said (with more sardonic commentary).

 

Jane then told Daria about Tom and herself running into Sandi and Jean at the bowling alley and her 11th birthday present from Trent.

 

 

Sandi and Jean walked down the stairs to the kitchen, where Sam and Chris were already having their breakfast. Sandi could tell that Sam hadn’t told Chris about the emerald. She then went and grabbed her box of low-carbohydrate cereal from the pantry. Jean put some toast into the toaster. “What is your plan?” She asked.

 

“We will go to school and, like, try to stay out of sight,” Sandi said, wondering how it had come to that.

 

“Good plan,” Jean said. She could see Linda come down the stairs.

 

“Good morning!” Linda said.

 

 

_Lawndale Offices of Vitale, Davis, Horowitz, Rhiordan, Shrechter and Shrechter 8:00_

Helen looked up from her piles of paperwork to see her boss, Eric Shrechter, walk into her office.

“Helen, you wanted to see me?” he asked.

 

“Yes, Eric. Something has come up regarding the High School, and I need some time off this afternoon to talk to some of the other parents about the issue,” Helen said.

 

“What sort of issue?” Eric asked, wondering what had come up.

 

“That is confidential and on a need to know basis,” Helen said strongly. She didn’t want anyone else in the law firm to know about the genie.

 

“Can’t your husband be there?” Eric asked.

 

“He could, and he may be, but I need to be there myself. I would like to know more about this issue first hand,” Helen said.

 

Eric thought. “It depends on how busy we are today,” he said, finally.

 

“Oh, alright,” Helen said as Eric left the office. She immediately went back to work.

 

 

“...In conclusion we agree that Sandi having the genie is a bad thing and that we need to sleep on it,” Stacy finished summarising the notes from their discussion at Tiffany’s the previous afternoon.

 

“Very good, Stacy,” Quinn said, encouragingly.

 

“So, your sister said that we need to consider the fact that Mrs Griffin or Ms Li may get the emerald?” Stacy asked.

 

“Cousin,” Quinn corrected.

 

“Oh, Quinn, we know that Daria is your sister,” Stacy said. ‘If this isn’t the time for this, there is otherwise no time,’ she thought.

 

“We were just being polite about it,” Tiffany added.

 

“Oh,” Quinn said. ‘Of course, there is an obvious resemblance, such as there is between Mom and Aunt Rita,’ she thought. “Thanks. Anyway, Stace, you were saying?”

 

“So, Daria suggested that we need to consider the fact that Mrs. Griffin or Ms. Li may get the emerald?” Stacy asked.

 

“Yes,” Quinn said.

 

“Right, which situation do we consider first, Mrs. Griffin or Ms. Li?” Stacy asked as she took down the notes.

 

Quinn thought about it for half a minute.

 

“Qui-inn?” Tiffany asked, wondering if she had dozed off.

 

“Most likely Ms. Li, because Sandi most likely will go to school today,” Quinn said.

 

“Ok, so you think that Jeans mischievous nature will cause her genie nature to come to Ms Li’s attention?” Stacy asked. ‘A likely outcome!’ she thought.

 

“Exactly,” Quinn said, although she was sure that she wouldn’t have had put it exactly the way that Stacy had.

 

“But there is no way to know what sort of events would happen as a result of Jean’s mischief!” Stacy said, starting to hyperventilate again.

 

“I know, we may need to organise some sort of distraction,” Quinn said.

 

“Bu-ut what sort of dis-traction?” Tiffany asked, confused. ‘It would have to be a very good distraction,’ she thought.

 

“I am sure Daria would have an idea,” Quinn said.

 

“But what do you think?” Stacy asked. ‘I am certain that she will come up with something. She does come up with many of ideas in the Fashion Club,’ she thought.

 

Quinn thought and came up with an idea. ‘It seems crazy, but it might just work,’ she thought. She then told the other two.

 

“But are you sure that would work?” Stacy asked.

 

“It would have to, unless Daria and her art friend can think of something else,” Quinn said. ‘I am certain that Daria would help me improve the plan,’ she thought.

 

“What if it doesn’t work?” Tiffany asked.

 

“Then Ms. Li may find out,” Quinn said.

 

“But it must work!” Stacy said.

 

“Relax, Stacy, we may come up with something else,” Quinn said. ‘Multiple plans, and contingency plans for all of them. Definitely Daria’s territory or maybe of that tycoon guy on that cartoon about those living statues,’ she thought.

 

They continued their discussion.

 

 

“Quite an interesting situation, it would be worthy of a _Sick Sad World_ episode!” Jane said when Daria had finished her commentary.

 

“And most viewers would say ‘what the hell are they thinking’,” Daria said.

 

“’A genie in a Pennsylvanian suburban High School? Magic in the burbs, next on _Sick Sad World!_ ” Jane said, imitating the usual SSW announcer.

 

“It may work,” Daria said, with a tiny smirk.

 

“Told ya,” Jane said.

 

“Besides, we need to be going if we are going to meet Quinn, Stacy and Tiffany with sufficient time before homeroom,” Daria said.

 

“Whose idea was that again?” Jane asked.

 

“Mine.”

 

“And Quinn agreed?”

 

“Jane, if we’re going to stop this problem before it gets out of control, we need all the help we can get!”

 

“True, but the fashion fiends?” Jane asked. ‘Unless they’re growing up somehow,’ she thought.

 

“They aren’t as dumb as they appear; at least Quinn and Stacy aren’t,” Daria said.

 

“I guess so,” Jane said, unconvinced. Daria noticed the _ET_ game cartridge where Jane had thrown it aside earlier. She picked it up.

 

“Isn’t this the worst game of all time?”

 

“According to Trent, Wind bought it,”

 

“That sort of makes sense. Not only is he a failure at relationships, he is also a failure as a gamer,” Daria said.

 

“Yeah,” Jane said as she lead the way out of the room.

 

“Do you think it would be safe to leave Trent in your room?”

 

“He knows not to mess with my stuff.”

 

 

_Lawndale High School 8:40_

After arriving early to school Anna Pearce was looking for Jean. She was curious to know why Jean was a genie and curious as to what the emerald could do...

 

“Anna? What are you doing?” Her friend, Lisbeth Siobhan ‘Chipmunk’ Ogden, asked as they appeared to be aimlessly wandering the school’s corridors.

 

 

 

“There was a genie at school yesterday, and I am sure that it will be here today,” Anna said.

 

“Maybe,” Chipmunk (Chip for short) said. Whilst she had heard of the rumours the previous day and had seen the extra floor on the science block, she was sceptical.

 

“You were here yesterday,” Anna said, as they entered the Industrial Arts Block.

 

“It is rather fantastical, even with that extra floor.”

 

“Maybe if you went to the library with me after school, instead of going to Track training, you would have better deductive reasoning skills,” Anna said.

 

Chip wasn’t sure what Anna was talking about. “But I am good at it!” she said, referring to her position in the Track team.

 

“Oh sure,” Anna said, in a teasing tone. Chip rolled her eyes.

 

 

Jeffy Brown’s car pulled into the LHS student parking lot, close to the school. “Thanks for the ride, Jeffy,” Quinn said.

 

“Anything for you, Quinn,” Jeffy said, sincerely. Stacy and Tiffany got out of the back seat, Stacy remembered to lock the door, but Tiffany didn’t.

 

“Do you know where to meet Daria and Jane?” Stacy asked.

 

As if on cue; Trent’s Plymouth coupé, being driven by Jane, pulled in next to Jeffy’s car. Jane turned off the engine and got out. Daria also got out.

 

“Oh,” Stacy said.

 

“I see that taking Trent’s car was a good idea,” Jane said.

 

“Wasting time searching for them would not have been well spent,” Daria said.

 

“Hi, Daria, have you and Jane come up with anything?” Quinn asked.

 

 

The Fashionable Trio plus Jeffy and the Amiga Outcasts filled each other in on their discussions as they walked towards the school.

 

 

Daria reached the door first. “That is a good idea, Quinn,” she said. She was going to say something else (with a mixture of encouragement and sarcasm), but she was interrupted by Jane.

 

“Quite surprising that you would come up with it,” she said.

 

“Well, Jane, this situation is quite shocking. As a result, I have started to re-evaluate what is important,” Quinn said, seriously.

 

“Oh!” Jane said, at a loss for words at the (slight) change in Quinn.

 

Daria didn’t know what to think about it either. She knew, however, that the changes in Quinn were slight. ‘It is at least a few steps in the right direction,’ she thought.

 

“But how are you going to set it into motion, Quinn?” Jeffy asked.

 

“We need to find a few others and talk to them about it. The bigger the distraction, the better,” Quinn said.

 

“The question is; who would be suitable?” Jane said.

 

“Andrea, Jodie, Mack, and though I loath to admit it, Upchuck,” Daria said.

 

“Upchuck? Really? Eeeeww!” Quinn said.

 

“There are brains in our grade who would do it better than Upchuck!” Stacy offered.

 

“Ok, Upchuck as a last resort. That leaves the other 3, and those other ‘brains’ that Stacy mentioned,” Daria said.

 

The group turned a corner, heading towards the HSIE block.

 

“Now to find one of those people, preferably Jodie and Mack,” Jane said.

 

“Joey and Jamie can help as well!” Jeffy said, as he trailed behind. ‘They aren’t as dumb as you think either,’ he thought.

 

 

Whilst Anna and Chip were passing through the Industrial Arts block and the Amiga Outcasts, Fashionable Trio and Jeffy were discussing whom would help them in their planned distraction of Ms. Li from Jean’s nature, Elias exited the library on his own search for Jean. He was sure that she needed a friend. He also wanted to keep an eye on Sandi, to ensure that she wouldn’t make any wishes that would change Lawndale any further.

 

 

Anna and Chip entered the Science Block.

 

“Anna, don’t tell me you are doing what I think you are doing!” Chip said, in a slightly agitated tone.

 

“Chip, the genie may be hiding up there,” Anna protested.

 

“That wouldn’t matter if whomever has whatever is standing in for a lamp is not also there,” Chip countered.

 

“I am still going up there,” Anna said, as if daring Chip to deny her the exploratory opportunity. “Besides, I heard that it was Sandi Griffin,” she continued.

 

‘The president of the Fashion Clique?’ Chip thought. “You don’t know what is up there,” she said, responding to Anna’s previous comment, as they came to one of the flights of stairs to the second floor.

 

“I know. Think of it as an opportunity to explore,” Anna said, as she started going up the stairs.

 

‘It is a good thing that she is a member of the Orienteering Club.’ Chip thought as she followed her upwards.

 

 

Two minutes later, the two seniors opened a door marked Roof into a corridor much like all other corridors in the school. There were only minor differences. The floors, walls and ceilings looked the same. The Linoleum, the lockers and the lights were of the same colour. The doors were also the same colour. However something felt _off_ (at least to Chip, if not to Anna).

 

“So far, it looks like anywhere else in the school,” Anna said, her voice showing a slight disappointment.

 

“But anything could be waiting in the classrooms,” Chip countered, with a slight edge of fear in her voice.

 

“Spoilsport!” Anna said, picking up on Chip’s fear. She led the way to a nearby door. It was unlocked. Anna slowly opened it. The science lab inside looked similar to the labs on the floors below, except that it had cruder looking instruments, inkwells in most of the desks and metal chairs.

 

“It looks more like something out of a _Frankenstein_ movie than a high school science lab,” Chip said.

 

“It’s not that bad,” Anna said as she stepped into the slightly _Frankenstein-_ ish science classroom.

 

“Maybe not,” Chip conceded. They looked around that room before moving on to the next room.

 

 

“So you are saying that the rumours yesterday were true, that there is a genie, that Sandi Griffin is involved and that you want my help in setting up a distraction so that Ms. Li doesn’t find out?” Jodie Landon asked, incredulously.

 

“Yes,” Daria said.

 

“What she said,” Jane said.

 

“It doesn’t make any sense,” Jodie objected.

 

“Believe me, the last day has been rather strange, but the events happened!” Quinn said. ‘Of course, most of the people did not see what happened for themselves, but that doesn’t mean that they didn’t hear about it,” Quinn said.

 

“I remember everything,” Stacy said.

 

“My imagina-ation is not tha-at active,” Tiffany said. She knew that her imagination was not that active ‘If I did have a more active imagination, I would have been able to help more with the discussion at Quinn’s,’ she thought.

 

Jodie sighed. “If it were anyone else telling me this, Daria, I wouldn’t have believed it, even with that extra floor. I mean that could be a scheme of Li’s accomplished via smoke and mirrors, right?”

 

“Not really,” Jeffy said.

 

“Anyway, I’m in,” Jodie said, ignoring Jeffy.

 

“If Jodie is in, I’m in,” her boyfriend, Michael ‘Mack’ Mackenzie, said.

 

“That’s great!” Quinn said in celebration.

 

“The question is; how are eight people going to distract the principal when a genie is potentially causing chaos?” Jodie asked. ‘Eight people can only do so much in the face of such chaos,’ she thought.

 

“We are going to need more people,” Quinn said. ‘But who else would want to help us?” she thought.

 

“Like Andrea, and some Sophomore Brains,” Daria said.

 

“That would be a good start, but what about Upchuck?” Jodie asked.

 

She was about to say something more when she was interrupted by a synchronised “Eeeeww!” from the Fashionable Trio.

 

“He is good with magic tricks, He could possibly use smoke and mirrors to hide the genie’s antics,” Jodie said. ‘Once one looks past his ultrasuave act he is actually a good person,’ she thought.

 

“I thought he gave up that hobby when he started acting all ultra-suave,” Jane said.

 

“Believe me, he hasn’t,” Mack said.

 

“If we find Upchuck, we will talk to him. As it is, we are running out of time. We need to start an interim plan now,” Daria said. ‘We are running out of time. There are less than ten minutes until homeroom,’ she thought.

 

Quinn glanced at her watch, “Yikes! You’re right!” she said. They began discussing an interim plan.

 

 

At the same time as Chip and Anna entering the Science Block and Daria _et al_ talking to Jodie and Mack, Brooke was looking for Sandi between the Library and the Arts/Music block. She then heard Andrea saying “Be careful Sandi!” Brooke looked and saw that Torii was already moving in on Sandi.

 

 

“Be careful Sandi,” Andrea said.

 

“I know I have to be careful!” Sandi said.

 

“There you are Sandi!” Torii said. “This time your time trick won’t work!” she continued. ‘Bring it on!’ she thought, readying herself for what might come next.

 

“And why is that?” Sandi asked, glaring at Torii. Torii charged, grabbing the emerald. She and Sandi then struggled. Sandi grabbed Torii’s hair. Torii then also grabbed Sandi’s hair. Sandi used her other hand to try to wrestle Torii’s hand off the emerald. This went on for a minute before Torii decided to wish Sandi somewhere else. By this time a large crowd had gathered, including Jean, Andrea (both hoping that Sandi would beat Torii back), Brooke, Ted, Joey and Jamie.

 

“I wish that Sandi would be elsewhere!” Torii said. ‘Now, I have the emerald!’ Torii thought, gloating.

 

“No!” Sandi said before she vanished, leaving Torii holding the emerald.

 

“Where did she go, Torii Jericho?” Andrea asked.

 

“Why don’t you ask the genie, Hecuba!” Torii said. She purposely wasn’t on a first name basis with unpopular teens to spite them.

 

“She is still in the school!” Jean said, to Andrea. At Joey’s glare she said “She’s not in the pool though.”

 

“Good,” Joey said.

 

Torii looked at the extra floor on the science block. ‘No, I’ll leave that there. There may be no telling what useful nick-knacks may be in there,’ she thought. She came up with a wish. “I wish for bright streamers in the school colours hanging off the side of the library,” she said. ‘That will brighten this school up!’ she thought.

 

Jean grumbled but granted the wish anyway. Bright blue and yellow streamers appeared, with the usual sound, hanging off the library building.

 

 

Elias was outside the cafeteria when Sandi appeared next to him. “Elias, I, like, need your help!” she said, with reluctance.

 

“Someone else has the emerald?” he asked.

 

“Torii Jericho!” she said. Elias’ eyes widened.

 

“Let’s go,” he said. ‘She would be worse than Sandi!’ he thought. He ran off towards the quad, Sandi followed close behind him.

 

 

Torii was still deciding what to wish next when she saw Elias and Sandi enter the quad and run towards the crowd. She grabbed the emerald. “Oh no you don’t!” Andrea said, growling. She leapt towards Torii. Torii put herself into a defensive stance, but that was no defence against 145 pounds of Goth Chick moving towards her at 10 miles per hour.

 

Andrea crashed into Torii, preventing her from making a wish, and knocking her over. “You are going to give the emerald back to Sandi!” she said, as she grabbed the emerald herself.

 

“Why don’t you want it for yourself?” Torii asked, through gritted teeth.

 

“It is too big a responsibility, for any one person, especially a person like me,” Andrea said. She saw that Sandi was now approaching the two. “I wish that Sandi would have the emerald back.”

 

The emerald disappeared from around Torii’s neck and appeared around Sandi’s neck. Andrea got off Torii and looked at Sandi in the eyes. “I hope you realize what a burden having a genie at your command is,” she said.

 

Sandi was at a loss for words as the bell rang. She did not know what to say in response to Andrea’s statement.

 

She then wished herself to homeroom.

 

 

Anna and Chip heard the bell ring as they exited the third laboratory (which definitely had _Frankenstein_ qualities). “We can come back at recess,” Anna said.

 

“Possibly,” Chip said as they went back towards the stairs down to the normal part of the science block.

 

 

Daria, Quinn and the others heard the bell ring. “At least we have a basic plan,” Quinn said. ‘ I hope it works!’ she thought.

 

“That we do have, Quinn. That we do,” Jane said.

 

“Hopefully we won’t need to put it to the test,” Jodie said.

 

“Murphy’s law may come into play,” Daria said.

 

“I hope not,” Jodie said. They then dispersed to their different homerooms, after agreeing to meet at Recess.

 

 

20 minutes later, Ms Li was handed the incident report about the ‘fight’ between Andrea and Torii.

 

“That sort of behaviour is definitely not the sort of behaviour that Lawndale High students should be behaving in!” she exclaimed (pronouncing the school’s name in her usual manner), after she read it.

 

 

“ _Ms. Haley-Andrea Hecubaand Ms. Victoria Jericho, report to the Principal’s office immediately!_ ”

 

Torii knew that she was in trouble if the principal used her full name. She certainly didn’t see any teachers during her confrontation with Sandi or with Andrea, but someone must have been there. She exited the economics class with trepidation (after grabbing a hall pass from Mrs. Bennett). ‘Hecuba will take the fall, no matter _what_ she says,’ she thought.

 

Quinn and Jeffy looked at each other as Torii exited the room. Did this have something to do with the events related to the genie? Or was it separate? Neither were sure, so they decided to stay put.

 

 

“ _Ms. Haley-Andrea Hecubaand Ms. Victoria Jericho, report to the Principal’s office immediately!_ ”

 

‘What is it now? I thought no staff was present when I was grabbing the emerald off that ‘Popular Girl’ Torii,” Andrea thought. She also didn’t like the fact that the principal used her first name. ‘Haley is no name for a Goth like me,’ she thought as she walked up to Mr DeMartino’s desk.

 

Mr DeMartino handed her a hall pass. “What **ever** it is Ms **Hec** uba, come back **ASAP**!” he said.

 

“Whatever!” she said as she left the room.

 

Daria, Jane, Jodie and Mack looked at each other as Andrea left the classroom. They were wondering whether Ms. Li’s call to the office had anything to do with recent events. None of them were sure, so they didn’t follow Andrea.

 

 

“ _Ms. Haley-Andrea Hecubaand Ms. Victoria Jericho, report to the Principal’s office immediately!_ ”

 

Stacy looked up from her work as she heard Ms. Li’s announcement. ‘Does this have something to do with the genie?’ she thought. She looked at Tiffany, whom was looking at her textbook with a perplexed expression. It appeared that Tiffany hadn’t paid the announcement any notice. She also noticed that Sandi (whom was sitting on the other side of Tiffany) had tensed up when the announcement was made. She also glanced at Jean. The genie however appeared to be engrossed in the work.

But Sandi’s reaction made Stacy think. ‘I have to check it out!’ she thought. She got up and walked to the front. “Mr. Crown, I need to go to the bathroom,” she said. The teacher absentmindedly handed her hall pass without looking at her, and continued reviewing his lesson plan. She quickly exited the classroom.

 

‘What is Stacy up to?’ Sandi thought as she saw her exit the classroom. She went back to the work.

 

 

Stacy slowly edged along the corridor, and ducked into an adjacent corridor when she saw Torii turn a corner into the corridor. ‘Ok, there’s the Popularity Meter Girl, but where’s the Goth Chick,’ she thought. She followed Torii quietly.

 

 

Andrea reached the principal’s office first.

 

“Take a seat, Ms. Hecuba,” Ms. Li said.

 

Andrea crossed her arms and stared at the Principal in defiance.

 

“You will take a seat. Your actions this morning quite possibly have tarnished the good name of Lawndale High,” Ms Li, putting more reverence into the pronunciation of the school’s name than usual.

 

“Why do you have to do that?” Andrea asked, referring to Ms. Li’s pronunciation.

 

“It shows school spirit! Now sit down, before Ms. Jericho arrives,” Ms Li said.

 

Andrea reluctantly took a seat. “Now, Ms. Hecuba, why did you attack Ms. Jericho?”

 

Andrea remained silent.

 

“I need an answer, Ms. Hecuba,” Ms. Li said, whilst staring Andrea in the eyes. Andrea stared back for a few seconds before responding.

 

“The Fifth,” she said. Telling the Principal the truth would be a very bad idea. ‘I have no idea of what would happen if she gets a hold of that emerald!’ she thought.

 

“You are not getting away that easily, Ms. Hecuba,” the Principal said. She placed a thick folder on the desk. “This is your permanent record. Do you _want_ me to go through it?”

 

Andrea just sat back and glared at the Principal, as if saying ‘bring it on.’

 

“Fine, I will read your misdemeanours to you in front of Ms. Jericho.”

 

Andrea raised an eyebrow. ‘She _has_ to be bluffing. There is no legal way she can do that!’ she thought.

 

“And I’ll read hers to her in front of you,” Ms. Li continued.

 

‘Still would be a bluff. But if it is not a bluff, it is the price to pay for her not knowing about the genie,’ Andrea thought.

 

Torii then entered the office. “What is this about, Ms. Li?” she asked.

 

“You and Ms. Hecuba were involved in an altercation shortly before Homeroom. Why were you fighting?” The principal asked.

 

 

Stacy tip-toed up to the office door and then began to peek through the keyhole.

 

 

“You can’t do that. Permanent records are meant to be private!” Torii said.

 

“What is discussed here now, will not leave this room,” Ms. Li said.

 

Torii looked at Andrea. “I will not say anything if you won’t,” she said, whilst winking one eye after the other.

 

Andrea got the message “Deal,” she said.

 

“Ms Jericho, I have never known you to pass up such an opportunity for gossip. You must be hiding something!” Ms. Li said.

 

“I’m not hiding anything!” Torii said.

 

“Neither am I,” Andrea added.

 

“It is clear that you are hiding something. I’m hooking you up to the polygraph machine!” Ms. Li said.

 

 

“Oh no!” Stacy said, as she heard Ms. Li’s threat to the other teens.

 

 

5 minutes later, Ms. Li had hooked Andrea up to the polygraph machine that she had spent school funds on (shortly before the previous year’s collapse of the library roof).

 

“Now, why were you fighting with Ms Jericho before Homeroom?”

 

 

“Like, I _need_ a reason to fight!” Andrea said, her voice deadpan and reminding Ms. Li of someone else.

 

‘I see she has been observing Ms. Morgendorffer in class,’ Ms. Li thought as the polygraph needle continued to plot a straight line.

 

“Was there a particular reason _why_ you were fighting this morning?”

 

“No!” Andrea said.

 

The polygraph needle went haywire.

 

‘Yes!’ “Ah-ha! We are getting somewhere! Does the reason have anything to do with an earlier confrontation between Ms. Jericho and Ms. Griffin?”

 

“No!”

 

The polygraph needle, again went haywire...

 

Some thought’s connected in Ms. Li’s brain. “Does it have anything to do with those _crazy_ rumours from yesterday?” the principal asked.

 

“No!” Andrea said.

 

The polygraph needle once more went haywire. But Ms. Li was not paying any attention to it because Stacy had chosen that moment to burst into the office.

 

“Ms. Rowe! What is the meaning of this?” Ms. Li asked. ‘This had better be important!’ she thought.

 

Stacy was panting, and her hysterical nature was in full control. “There are vampires! In the Science Block! They are coming down from the new floor!” she said.

 

“Vampires? Really, Ms Rowe, you must be watching too much of that _Buffy_ show! There are no such things as vampires!”

 

“But they have fangs and everything!” Stacy shouted.

 

“Then lead me to them,” Ms. Li said, sensing something fishy.

 

“Oh no! I am not going back there!” Stacy said. She then appeared to faint.

 

“I guess I will have to check it for myself! Ms. Hecuba, stay where you are. Ms. Jericho, look after Ms. Rowe!” the principal said. ‘I am sure that they will be here when I get back,’ she thought as she quickly exited the office.

 

 

After the Principal was gone Andrea disconnected herself from the polygraph machine with disgust.

 

Torii shook Stacy. “Are you ok, Stacy?” she asked.

 

Stacy sat up. “I didn’t think that would work!” she said.

 

“You mean that there aren’t vampires in the Science Block?” Andrea asked.

 

“No, I doubt Sandi would wish for any, or that Jean would create any without someone wishing for them,” Stacy said.

 

“Lawndale is stuffed up enough as it is without a Hellmouth to make it worse,” Andrea said.

 

“Of course you would have to watch that show too, Hecuba,” Torii said. ‘But not really surprising,’ she thought.

 

“Better than watching any of the other crap on TV,” Andrea mumbled. Torii decided not to reply to that.

 

“We had better get scarce before Ms Li get’s back,” Andrea said.

 

“Oh yeah! I better get back to class,” Stacy said. She quickly left the principal’s office.

 

“I will be in the Library,” Andrea said, as she too, left.

 

“I’ll go onto the roof,’ Torii thought.

 

 

Ms. Li entered the Science Block from the quad. “Seems oddly quiet,” she said. She quickly went to the stairs and went up to the second level. It was also quiet. She walked to the next stairs, those that now lead up to the third level, rather than the roof.

 

 

Stacy returned to the classroom.

“You took your time, Stacy,” Sandi said, when Stacy had given the hall pass back to the teacher, and was approaching her seat.

 

“Sometimes, it takes a lot of time!” Stacy said.

 

“Stacy, Eeewww!” Tiffany said.

 

“Sorry!” Stacy said, as apology.

 

‘She must have been up to something!’ Sandi thought. ‘But what?’

 

 

Andrea entered the library, from the second level footbridge that lead from above the cafeteria. ‘The Principal won’t think to look for me here!’ she thought.  She then went to the fiction section.

 

 

Torii emerged onto the roof, above the office/cafeteria/hall block. ‘I will stay up here until recess. But what will I do for that amount of time?” she pondered. She walked over behind the water tank shack.

 

 

Ms. Li emerged from the stairwell into the corridor in the new floor of the science block. It felt ‘off’ but there was a distinct lack of vampires.

“Ms. Rowe! You will answer for this!” she said as she turned around. ‘Maybe she thought that there were vampires, but that is no excuse!’ she thought.

 

 

Ms. Li arrived back at the office to find it empty. “Great, where have they gone now? I hope they are in class! There is definitely something going on here!”

 

 

_“Ms. Haley-Andrea Hecuba, Ms. Victoria Jericho and Ms. Anastasia Rowe, report to the principal’s office!”_

 

“Oh no!” Stacy said.

 

“Like, what were you up to earlier?” Sandi asked.

 

“You don’t want Ms. Li finding out about Jean, do you?” Stacy asked.

 

“Of course not!” Sandi said.

 

“Well, Andrea and Torii were called to the office about a fight, that involved you, this morning,” Stacy said.

 

“Oh!” Sandi said.

 

“Yeah, Quinn, Tiffany, a few others and I put together a plan to distract her if events went out of control,” Stacy said.

 

“I can believe that,” Sandi said.

 

“I got curious about Torii and Andrea being called to the office at the same time. Our plan would have been for naught if Ms. Li found out from either of them,” Stacy said.

 

“Ok, Stacy,” Tiffany said.

 

“Aren’t you, like, going to the Office, Stacy?”Sandi asked.

 

“Mr. Crown hasn’t taken any notice,” Stacy said.

 

“No, but Ms. Li may come here!” Sandi said.

 

“Oh no!” Stacy said, distressed.

 

“You can ma-ake a wish Sand-di,” Tiffany said, not so oblivious for a change.

 

“Good point,” Sandi said. She grabbed the emerald. “I wish that Ms Li will, like, forget about Stacy, Torii, that Goth Chick and myself.”

 

There was an absence of the wish granting sound.

 

“Jean!?” Sandi said.

 

The genie looked Sandi in the eyes. “I cannot remove information from a human brain, Sandi. You will have to wish something else,” she said.

 

“Like what?” Sandi asked, glaring back (a glare that would have elicited an ‘Eep!’ if it had been directed at Stacy).

 

“That she would get lost whilst attempting to find Stacy, Torii or Andrea,” Jean suggested.

 

“That she would fa-all asleep,” Tiffany said.

 

“Or that the spy equipment in her office would fail,” Stacy said.

 

Sandi thought for a few moments. “Ok, I wish that all those things would happen.”

 

“You have to say what you want to happen, Sandi,” Jean said.

 

“Fine. I, Sandi Griffin, wish that that, first: Principal Angela Li would, like, fall asleep. Second: That all the equipment in the Lawndale High School Principal’s Office would, like, fail. And Third: That said Principal would, like, get lost whilst attempting to search for Stacy Rowe, Torii Jericho and/or Andrea Hecuba.”

 

The wish granting sound was heard.

 

 

Ms Li was waiting for the 3 miscreants (Andrea, Torii and Stacy) when knockout gas appeared in the office. “What!” she said, as she lost consciousness. At the same time all the equipment in the office failed. (Wires broke, the light bulbs blew, the computer’s Windows produced a Blue Screen of Death, and the hard drive gave up the ghost, the security screens shorted out, the circuit breaker covering the office tripped, etc.)

 

 

“Wish granted,” Jean said.

 

“Good,” Sandi said, she then went back to her work.

 

 

Daria and Quinn approached the principal’s office. They had heard Stacy being called to the office and had left their respective classes. They had met outside the Cafeteria.

 

“Quinn, wait. You don’t want her to see you,” Daria said.

 

“Good idea, Daria,” Quinn said.

 

They cautiously approached the office. As they approached the office they smelt something.

 

“Eeewww! What’s that?”

 

“Knockout gas,” Daria said, covering her nose.

 

“How would you know?” Quinn asked, backing off from the door.

 

“Research for _Melody Powers_ ,” Daria said as she followed her sister.

 

“Okay...” Quinn said, recognising the name as a creation of Daria’s for her writing.

 

“Someone must have wished for that. It is not likely that Ms. Li would just play around with that stuff,” Daria said.

 

“I guess. But who?” Quinn asked.

 

“No idea, at least no _immediate_ idea,” Daria said, after some thought. There were many students in the school that she thought would want to knock out the Principal, Sandi was only one of them, but it wouldn’t make sense to blame any person without any more proof.

 

“What do we do now?” Quinn asked.

 

“Go back to class. Ms. Li will wake up in a few hours, rather groggy, but mostly ok,” Daria said. She was sure that the principal wouldn’t be adversely affected in the immediate future.

 

“Ok,” Quinn said. They both went back to class.

 

 

At the beginning of Recess, Sandi ran out of the music classroom into the quad.

 

‘Everyone is after me and the emerald!’ she thought. She grabbed the emerald and said; “I wish that I will time-warp forwards to the end of recess.”

 

Sandi disappeared forwards 25 minutes, but the emerald didn’t! It fell to the ground.


End file.
